Bookmasters will be the official U.S. distributor of the Spanish edition of Francisco, Nuevo Papa (Francis, New Pope), a biographical account of the life of Pope Francis, for one of the world’s most prominent Spanish-Catholic publishers, Edibesa.

ASHLAND, OHIO — April 15, 2013 — Bookmasters will be the official U.S. distributor of the Spanish edition of Francisco, Nuevo Papa (Francis, New Pope), a biographical account of the life of Pope Francis, for one of the world’s most prominent Spanish-Catholic publishers, Edibesa.

Francisco, Nuevo Papa, written by Javier Fernández Malumbres, chronicles the life of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and is the first book that focuses on the events leading up to the surprise selection of the Argentinian Cardinal as Pope Francis in March and what his journey to the papacy means for Catholics worldwide.

The book includes details about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the step-by-step conclave process in which Pope Francis was elected, and insider accounts of Pope Francis’s first few days as the new leader of the Catholic Church.

The publication date for Francisco, Nuevo Papa is set for April 23. The print edition will be priced at $12.95 and available through retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million, while the eBook will be $9.99 and available through retailers including Amazon.com, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

Javier Fernández Malumbres is a renowned religious journalist from Spain with close connections to the Vatican. Malumbres was previously a writer, editor, collaborator, and director for several Spanish-Catholic publications from 1978 to 2002, including the daily newspaper, Ya; weekly magazine, Ecclesia; Humanizar; Vida Nueva; and Cáritas. Most recently, Malumbres managed the communications department at Manos Unidas, a religious organization in Spain whose mission is to fight hunger, poverty, disease, and lack of education in third world countries. In addition, Malumbres has participated in and reported on many international ecclesiastic events, including the recent Synod of Bishops on Africa.

“Millions of readers want to know more about the life of the new Holy Pontiff, and Edibesa is fortunate to be able to describe the events leading up to his election from an objective and concise point of view,” said Luis Angel Soler, commercial director at Edibesa. “This book will be a valuable documentation of this historic moment in the Catholic Church for many generations.”

“The recent series of events have left many people questioning the future of the Catholic Church, and Francisco, Nuevo Papa has the insight to help answer these questions,” added Ernesto Martinez, manager of Spanish programs and products at Bookmasters.

Edibesa, based in Madrid, Spain, is one of the world’s most prominent publishers of Spanish-Catholic books. For more information, visit www.edibesa.com.

Bookmasters, based in Ashland, Ohio, is one of the largest integrated providers of publishing services in the world. For more than 40 years, Bookmasters has offered services to publishers and authors such as printing, print book warehousing and distribution, eBook conversion and distribution, editorial and design, and marketing. To learn more, visit www.bookmasters.com.