Gandhi and the Popes: From Pius XI to Francis by Peter Gonsalves (review)

The book consists of three sections, each focusing on a particular aspect of the personal and ideational intercourse between Mahatma Gandhi and seven Popes from Pius XI to Francis. Section A has a chapter on Gandhi's short visit to Rome on his way home from the second Round Table Conference in December, 1931, followed by an illustration of tributes and comments on Gandhi offered by the Popes (except Francis) on various occasions. Section B addresses certain similarities between Pope Francis and Mahatma Gandhi, two leaders whom the author sees as heralds of world-changing revolutions. The comparison covers various dimensions, from "non-verbal communication strategies" and "prophetic-symbolic actions" to ideas on religion and faith, and adherence to a life of poverty and service. Section C deals with the nature and extent of the influence of Christ on Gandhi and of Gandhi on Pope Francis. This is done, on one hand, by perusing Gandhi's views on topics such as Christ's divinity, the Sermon on the Mount, and Christian proselytization, and on the other, by identifying a 'Gandhian element' in the reformed Jesuit spirit which deeply influenced Bergoglio's experience as a member of the Church. The author concludes that it would be impossible to deny this two-way influence, although the ways of transmission may not always be traceable.

The account of Gandhi's visit to Rome in chapter 1 deserves special consideration. The author has had access to hitherto untapped sources in the Archivio Segreto Vaticano which shed new light on the real reasons for Pius XI's "not being able" to grant the Mahatma an audience. These documents confirm what could have only been supposed until now, namely that the Vatican did not intend to ruin the existing cordial relations with Britain at a crucial point in the political evolution of India. The analysis is accompanied by a reconstruction of other aspects of Gandhi's visit to Italy, such as his preparatory conversations with Romain Rolland, the 'official' welcome extended by the Fascist government, the meeting with Mussolini, and the controversial interview published in the Giornale d'Italia. This part is commendable for its richness in details, although one does not find any substantial addition to already available information.

The main theme of the book is, however, the many-sided interaction between Mahatma Gandhi and Christianity. The author proposes an original interpretation through his study of leadership and communication in the context of inter-religious dialogue. The enquiry might be further developed by placing the pope's views of Gandhi against the backdrop of the great variety of attitudes in the Catholic world toward Gandhi, and generally toward India, as testified by a sizable amount of publications during the twentieth century.

On the negative side, certain assumptions seem to betray a limited familiarity with recent historical research on India. For instance, on page xi the author presents a simplistic view of "India's surge for independence" as a "nonviolent revolution involving more than 300 million people under the leadership of a single individual" (i.e., Mahatma Gandhi), thereby denying the multidimensional character of the social and political movements in colonial India. On page 80 we read that the caste system and untouchability are "3500 years old," which would be hard to prove. Other sweeping statements may make a historian uncomfortable, for instance, the author's assertion that within the British Empire, "forty-four nations were born in 37 years after India's independence in contrast to only eleven nations in approximately 360 years before it" (p. 87, fn. 3). This seems to superimpose modern ideas of 'nation' and 'independence' on political cultures which were very distant in time and space.

The narrative would have gained from a more thorough editing, as several passages in the main text are repeated verbatim in the footnotes. Apart from these problematic...