Rome, Italy, Jul 4, 2008 / 00:33 am
Pope Benedict XVI will take part in a continuous Bible reading for the Italian state broadcaster RAI, it has been announced. He will begin the six-day marathon recitation by reading the first chapter of Genesis in Italian on October 5.
The Pope’s reading will take about an hour. Organizers have not decided whether to broadcast the Pope’s reading live or to prerecord it, according to ANSA. Pope Benedict has reportedly expressed a preference to read live from St. Peter’s Basilica.
“I think the fundamental element that convinced Benedict XVI to take part in the television program was the fact that he will not be commenting but simply giving a pure reading of the text, a pure announcement of the Word,'' said Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, who is president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
Monsignor Ravasi added that the Pope’s participation will be an “appeal” to the Catholic Church to return to “studying and deepening its knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, to find again that base element and point of departure.”