Pope Leo: Literature must be a 'school of fraternity and peace'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

“There is a need for literature that helps recognize the dignity of every person, especially the most vulnerable, and that increasingly becomes a school of fraternity and peace.”

Pope Leo XIV expressed this in his telegram for the International Book Fair taking place in Turin, Italy, from May 14 to 18.

The message, sent on the Holy Father's behalf by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was sent to the Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Roberto Repole, and addressed to the participants of the international fair. It was read at the event's opening ceremony on Thursday morning by the fair’s director.

In the message, the Pope described this edition's title which draws on the work by the writer Elsa Morante's 'The World Saved by Kids' as "significant and timely.”

Pope Leo observed that “In a time that seems suffocated by the horrors of war, and by the chill of indifference, children, with their innate ability to see the world with fresh eyes, ignite a light of hope in society.”

The Holy Father concluded his message by expressing his hope “that the event may inspire renewed awareness of the importance of culture in fostering dialogue and concord.”

Pope Leo's words in the telegram echo those he addressed earlier this month to representatives of the Vatican Publishing House, which is participating in the Turin event, on the centenary of its founding.

On the occasion, the Holy Father insisted that “reading nourishes the mind, helps cultivate a conscious and well-formed critical sense, and guards against fundamentalisms and ideological shortcuts.” He had also urged “everyone to read books, as an antidote to closed-mindedness, which manifests in rigid attitudes and reductive views of reality.”