A German photographer and author based in Malta has just launched a photography book with unique pictures from some of Pope Francis’s latest international trips to Thailand, Japan and Bari, Italy.

Anja Goder is one of a small group of photographers who form part of a delegation that accompanies the pope on all his journeys. The trips she covers in the book took place in 2019 and early 2020. The Bari trip was the pope’s very last trip before the world closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photographer and author Anja Goder

“It was just amazing and an absolute privilege and honour to be in the middle of all the action, literally metres away from such an inspirational figure,” Goder says.

Pope Francis greeting people from the popemobile as he enters the Tokyo Dome, Japan, in 2019.

“Pope Francis has a very determined personality with great charisma. Despite having turned 85, he is still full of energy and is tirelessly working to bring the world closer together through interreligious dialogue, mutual respect and understanding,” she continues.

“He is fully committed to speaking out for people on the fringes of society and raising awareness for the huge social indifferences and the responsibility the industrialised world has in helping people and societies out of extreme poverty and often violent conflicts within the countries.”

Pope Francis meeting the Supreme Buddhist Patriarch in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2019.

The book features over 100 pages of exclusive pictures, each with a story to tell. These vary from photos of the pope lighting a candle at the Atomic Bomb Hypocentre Park, in Nagasaki, to a group of nuns greeting him at St Peter’s parish in Thailand, to another of the pope addressing bishops during the Mediterranean Frontier of Peace Conference at the basilica of St Nicholas, in Bari. 

Goder manages to capture the pope’s various expressions and emotions and those of the people around him. She admits she has always had a penchant for photographing people. 

“Since I can remember, I was always interested in photography. From a very young age, I started photographing people on every occasion possible. Professionally, my very first assignments involved taking the annual portraits of students and children at school, including class pictures,” she says.

“This kind of photography has a long tradition in some countries like my Germany, the US and Russia and served me as a great introduction to the world of photography.

The pope is captured looking at his watch, an allegorical reminder of his well- structured and disciplined Jesuit schooling, in Thailand, in 2019.

“Eventually, photography started taking me across the world, meeting, exploring and picturing different societies, cultures and individuals. Today, at 43 years of age, I really wouldn’t have it any other way!”

Goder came to Malta in 2017, lured by its rich history, sunny Mediterranean weather and the English language, which were all “important factors” for her to settle on the island. 

One of her first projects here was establishing the Malta International Photo Award (MIPA) (www.maltainternationalphotoaward.com), a prestigious photography award with a high-ranking international jury. 

“Most of them worked or are still working with famous magazines and organisations such as National Geographic,” she notes.

“We managed to reach thousands of photographers and photography enthusiasts from all corners of the world in the four editions we opened through the years. Photographers from over 150 countries registered with MIPA and we received submissions from all over the world. The quality of the entries is mind-blowing and it is a pleasure to see the deep passion and dedication of so many individuals with different backgrounds and cultures creating pictures and telling stories.”

“The best way to resurge back from this pandemic is through love, acceptance and mutual respect between us all”

She also feels proud that, through MIPA, her team managed to put Malta on the map in the photography world and “shine a very positive light on this diverse and historically fascinating country”.

Goder, who lives in Kappara, is also the founder of the Peacemaker Global Project, an ongoing project that focuses on individuals who have acted and are still fighting as prominent advocates for peace in the world in the last decades. 

The book’s cover

Her photography book on Pope Francis is, in fact, the first volume in the Peacemaker series.

The photos are complemented by a highly researched commentary about the significance of the above-mentioned trips in view of Pope Francis’s wider goals in achieving global peace and prosperity.

Goder comments that, since she followed the pope on those trips, the world has changed a lot but his message has become even more powerful and significant during this time.

Pope Francis lighting a candle at the Atomic Bomb Hypocentre Park in Nagasaki, Japan, in 2019.

“Borders closed and our normal life was mostly disrupted. But, personally, I feel that the pope’s message of love and peace has never been as important because the best way to resurge back from this pandemic is through love, acceptance and mutual respect between us all.”

Peacemaker: Pope Francis on his Mission to Thailand, Japan and Bari is published by White Pages Publishing and is available worldwide on all major platforms and retail bookshops. It can be bought locally from all Agenda bookstores or online at https://linktr.ee/anjagoder.

Smiling nuns waiting for Pope Francis at St Peter's parish in the Catholic village of Wat Roman, Thailand, in 2019.