 Cover of the first edition in Spanish | |
| Authors | Jorge Bergoglio Abraham Skorka |
|---|---|
| Original title | Sobre el cielo y la tierra |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
| Publisher | Sudamericana |
Publication date | 2010 |
Published in English | 7 May 2013 |
On Heaven and Earth (Spanish: Sobre el cielo y la tierra) is a book that presents conversations between Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who later became Pope Francis, and Argentine rabbi Abraham Skorka. The book is about faith, family and the Catholic Church in the 21st century. It was first published in Spanish in 2010 and appeared in an English translation in 2013.[1]
Among the comments that attracted particular attention following Bergoglio's election to the papacy were these:[2]
For now the discipline of celibacy remains firm. Some say, with a certain pragmatism, we're losing manpower. If, hypothetically, Western Catholicism revises the issue of celibacy, I think it would be for cultural reasons (as in the East), not as a universal option. For the moment, I am in favor of maintaining celibacy, with the pros and cons it has, because there are 10 centuries of good experiences rather than failures.... It is a matter of discipline, not of faith. It can change.
