Pope Francis strikes a blow for literature in a long letter about its role for humanity. In the letter, which the Vatican is publishing on Sunday, the Pope states that he himself enjoys reading the great tragedies.
The letter is primarily addressed to young priests, but the Pope says that reading is crucial for all people since it "leads to personal maturity" and "a good book can keep us from making less healthy choices".
Pope Francis highlights authors such as C.S. Lewis, Marcel Proust, T. S. Eliot, and Jorge Luis Borges.
"For my part, I love tragedies, since we can all embrace the works as an expression of our own personal drama. When we cry over the characters' fate, we cry for ourselves, for our own emptiness, flaws, and loneliness," writes Pope Francis.
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