Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Pope Francis Wants YOU to Read Dante. Join Us as We Do So!

Readers of the blog know that Dante Alighieri's masterpiece, which I don't hesitate to call the greatest book in the world, played a major roll in my conversion from irreligion to the One Holy Faith. Readers also know that our Popes have long praised Dante (who wasn't afraid of being critical of the papacy) and have repeatedly called on us to take up the Commedia and take the journey from the pits of sin and Hell to the Vultus Dei (the Face of God) in Heaven. Pope Francis has now "joined the chorus", as reported by News.va,

Catholic Pope

Pope Francis has sent a message to the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi on the occasion of a celebration held at the Italian Senate on Monday morning marking the 750th anniversary of the birth of the poet Dante Alighieri.... 
the Pope began by saying that he joined “the chorus of those who believe Dante Alighieri is an artist of the highest universal value, who still has much to say and to give, through his immortal works, to all those who are willing to walk the path of true knowledge”. 
On the eve of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Pope said it was his hope that the celebrations of the 750th anniversary of Dante’s birth, like those in preparation for the VII centenary of His death in 2021, could again make Dante’s work understood and valued. 
Through his writings, Dante, concluded  Pope Francis, is a man who invites us to regain the path of our human journey and the hope to once again see the bright horizon where shines the full dignity of the human person. 
Read the whole thing, and listen to the radio report over there: Pope Francis Sends Message to Mark Dante Alighieri Anniversary. And then follow along with us here at Adoro as we go through Dante's masterpiece. You can either read along in La Commedia or you can just read the blog posts as a general introduction to the poem. The latter is a great prep for working the way through the poem yourself as we dantisti (lovers of Dante) have a saying, "you're ready to start reading The Divine Comedy once you've read The Divine Comedy." Either way, join us! Pope Francis would want you to!
If you haven't been reading along, you can quickly get caught up by reading the following posts:
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