The Pope on Literature

An ode to the importance of reading novels and poetry recently came from an unexpected corner. Pope Francis, in his latest letter, made a point to write on “the value of reading novels and poems as part of one’s path to personal maturity.” Although the Pope focuses on seminaries in his letter, his message is nevertheless relevant to lay Catholics as well as students of literature from diverse faith traditions.

Francis observes that, in many seminaries (and universities!), “literature is considered non-essential.” However, he argues, “I consider it important that such an approach is unhealthy,” as it can lead to “serious intellectual and spiritual impoverishment.”

Francis emphasizes the power of literature to facilitate wellbeing and personal growth, writing that, “…In moments of weariness, anger, disappointment, or failure, when prayer itself does not help us find inner serenity, a good book can help us weather the storm until we find peace of mind.” He goes on to contrast books with “audio-visual media,” and evokes the reading experience (and the literature class experience) when he notes that “Readers in some sense rewrite a text, enlarging its scope through their imagination, creating a whole world by bringing into play their skills, their memory, their dreams, and their personal history, with all its drama and symbolism.”

Francis recalls his time as a young teacher at a Jesuit School, and relates that, although he had been tasked to assign his students El Cid, he decided that he’d allow the students to read El Cid at home and use class time to discuss “the authors the students liked best.” The Pope even weighs in, to some extent, on syllabus construction (or at least on book club selection), when he writes that “There is nothing more counterproductive than reading something out of a sense of duty, making considerable effort simply because others have said it is essential.”

The Pope highlights a brief definition of literature that he likes: “listening to another person’s voice.” He goes on to describe literature’s ability to help us overcome isolation and understand others, and even namechecks T.S. Eliot, who “described today’s religious crisis as that of widespread emotional incapacity.” As the Pope himself noted in a press conference (and which he recalls in his letter), “I think that the West lacks a bit of poetry.”

Francis describes the benefits of literature in a variety of ways: “Literature… teaches us how to look and see, to discern and explore the reality of individuals and situations as a mystery charged with a surplus of meaning”; “Literature helps us to reflect on the meaning of our presence in this world, to ‘digest’ and assimilate it”; “The wisdom born of literature instils in the reader greater perspective, a sense of limits, the ability to value experience over cognitive and critical thinking, and to embrace a poverty that brings extraordinary riches.” In the end of the piece, Francis references the “union” between “the divine Word and our human words.”

For attentive readers, whether Catholic or not, there is plenty of food for thought in this letter!

You can read the whole piece on the Vatican’s website.