Pope Francis was one of the most ‘electrifying papacies in centuries,’ says author of book on pontiff’s life and influences

The late Pope Francis. 'He humanized the papacy, jettisoned much of the silly and encrusted protocols and habits that made the Vatican a kingdom of princelings, and attached priority to the pastoral over the cerebral, people over concepts, in the exercise of his ministry as the Successor of Peter,' says author Michael W. Higgins.Photograph courtesy of Flicker/Catholic Church in England and Wales