LEV features book on Nativity Scenes at Frankfurt Book Fair

By Vatican News

The Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the most prestigious international gatherings in publishing, is now underway in Frankfurt. The Vatican's publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV) is present once again at the annual gathering, this year focusing on a forthcoming anniversary that is very significant for the life of the Church and culture: the 800th anniversary of the first nativity scene, conceived and built by Saint Francis of Assisi during Christmas 1223. The LEV has prepared a book by Pope Francis entitled "Il presepe" (The Nativity Scene). The book looks at the people and symbols of Christmas Night in which Pope Francis explains the meaning and message of the both physical and figurative of the Nativity representation.

Books by Pope Francis

Also debuting in Frankfurt is another new book by Pope Francis, "Walking Together," featuring texts and reflections on Synodality, curated by Sister Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the Synod. It is an anthology that brings together what Pope Francis has written and spoken on the theme of the Church listening and walking with the people of God, from the time of his election to today. The text comes at an important moment, just after the Pope announced the meeting in two separate periods of the Synod on Synodality, in October 2023 and October 2024.

The other text by Pope Francis focuses on theology of the priesthood, "According to the Style of God." Reflections on the spirituality of the priesthood are featuring including Pope Francis' address at the symposium on the theology of the priesthood held recently at the Vatican, accompanied with commentary by Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, and Fr. Luigi Maria Epicoco. The text is also enriched with texts regarding ongoing formation of clergy.

Spirituality, ecology, fiction

Alongside these and other publications by Pope Francis and recent magisterial documents written by the various offices of the Holy See, the LEV has brought to the Frankfurt Book Fair some recent texts related to care for creation, society and spirituality. A new book by French economist and Jesuit Fr. Gaël Giraud, "The Gentle Revolution of Ecological Transition" is featured. Other books presented include the biography of Venerable Tonino Bello by Msgr. Domenico Cornacchia, "Witness and master of virtue." The Christian Way by don Tonino Bello has already being translated into Polish. Also presented at the Book Fair will be "Le diversità riconciliate" (Reconciled Diversity). "Theological Ethics of Life," by Marcelo Figueroa, a pastor the Presbyterian community and director of the Argentine edition of L'Osservatore Romano, is being published in Spanish and Portuguese. Finally, a book on "Scripture, tradition, practical challenges," by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life is also featured.

"Two recent publications that intersect the themes of literature and spirituality are of particular interest," explains Lorenzo Fazzini, publishing manager of the Libreria Editrice Vaticana. "The first, La tessitura del mondo (The weaving of the world), by Andrea Monda, director of L'Osservatore Romano, brings together texts by Pope Francis on the theme of storytelling in dialogue with great writers, authors and intellectuals from all over the world, from Donna Tart to Colum McCann, from Renzo Piano to Edna O'Brien. A publication by LEV together with Salani has been very well received by readers. The second, "La Parola e i racconti, Sedici scrittrici Italiane leggono le parabole dei Vangeli" (The Word and stories: sixteen Italian women writers read the parables of the Gospels), an idea of the authors of the women's supplement of L'Osservatore Romano, 'Donne Chiesa Mondo' (Women Church World), features some of today's best-known Italian women writers and inspired by the Gospel parables by writing short stories of their own. These two publications show that a renewed and fruitful synergy between literature and spirituality can arise in the publishing world, showing how the two worlds can meet and interact to enrich faith and knowledge.