Russian publisher releases censored version of Pope Francis’ autobiography

Several passages dealing with LGBTQ+ people have been blacked out in the Russian edition of Pope Francis’ autobiography, Hope, in what appears to be a striking example of how Russia’s censorship rules are reaching into works by one of the world’s most prominent religious figures.

The Russian-language edition was published in 2026 by Alpina Publisher, one of Russia’s largest publishing houses. The publisher’s catalogue confirms that the Russian edition, titled Nadezhda (Hope), was released in 2026 and runs to 358 pages.

The suspected censorship was reported by Christians Against War, an advocacy group bringing together Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian Christians opposed to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The group cited an advertisement for the book by the Moscow-based Primus Versus bookstore and posted what appeared to be a photograph of a page from the autobiography with passages blacked out.

Pope Francis's autobiography censored in Russia
The Russian publishing house Alpina has released the late Pope Francis's book "Hope," an autobiography he worked on for over six years. However, the text has not reached Russian readers in its entirety. In its advertisement for the… pic.twitter.com/S71HSuG2e7
— Christians Against War (@shalt_not_kill) August 16, 2026

According to Natalla Vasilevich, a Belarusian human rights activist and theologian involved with Christians Against War, the deleted passages concern Francis’ statements on LGBTQ+ people and their place in the Catholic Church.

Among the passages reportedly removed are statements that transgender people can be baptised and serve as godparents, while another section contains Francis’ declaration that homosexuality is ‘not a crime, but a human reality’. A further passage refers to Fiducia supplicans, the Vatican document that permits non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples.

The censorship is particularly notable because Francis, who died in 2025 after 12 years as pope, was known for positions on LGBTQ+ issues that were more inclusive than those of many previous Catholic leaders. In his memoir, he also condemned the criminalisation of homosexuality, arguing that the Church and Christians could not remain indifferent to what he described as a criminal injustice.

A memoir that also records the war in Ukraine

The passages removed from the Russian edition reportedly extend beyond LGBTQ+ issues.

In another section, Francis described his visit to the Russian embassy the day after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He wrote about attempts to stop the bombing and facilitate negotiations. He also described Bucha, Mariupol, Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities as places of ‘monstrous cruelty’.

The entire section was cut from the Russian-language edition of the autobiography, according to Vasilevich, who published the omitted text in full in her translation.

Moscow has progressively expanded restrictions on material it considers to constitute ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’, while the authorities have also tightened controls over the media, internet and cultural sphere since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In 2022, Russia extended its restrictions on information considered propaganda or demonstrations of ‘non-traditional sexual relations’ to audiences of all ages. The following year, Russia’s Supreme Court designated what it called the ‘international LGBT movement’ an extremist organisation.

The result has been increasing pressure on publishers and booksellers, with passages removed from books and some titles disappearing from shelves. According to the independent Russian outlet The Insider, around 600 titles have disappeared from Russian bookshops since 2022 as a result of censorship. Works by authors ranging from Fyodor Dostoevsky and Oscar Wilde to Stephen King have been affected by restrictions concerning LGBTQ+ content.

In Putin’s Russia, religion – above all the official Russian Orthodox Church—has been instrumentalised to legitimise and mobilise support for the war. Patriarch Kirill and church structures have portrayed the conflict in Ukraine as a sacred defence of “Holy Rus’” and traditional values against Western “Satanism,” blessed soldiers, expanded military chaplaincy, and closely aligned the Church with the state’s narrative.

Patriarch Kirill’s new book offers fresh theological justification for Russia’s war

Edited by k.n.

Sources: Meduza.io, shaltnotkill.info, Guardian, Reuters

Caption: Photo credit: Christians Against War @shalt_not_kill on X. Images in thir post show the book’s cover and pages with extensive black bars over text, illustrating self-censorship by the publisher in line with Russia’s laws restricting LGBT-related content.