“Apocalypse Now”: The Pope Rewrites the Script
In his latest Wednesday catechesis, Benedict XVI has deciphered for the faithful the enigma of the book of Revelation. It is not the Dragon that triumphs, but the Lamb: “Do not be afraid of the silence of God”
by Sandro Magister
ROMA, August 26, 2006 – In his latest Wednesday general audience, with thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, Benedict XVI continued his catecheses dedicated to the twelve apostles.
In the preceding chapters of this cycle, pope Joseph Ratzinger had sketched the profiles of Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, James the Lesser, and John, in that order.
In the case of John, he first described his life. Then, in a second catechesis, he discussed the central content of the Gospel and the letters that bear his name: charity, or love.
In this third catechesis dedicated to John, delivered to the faithful on Wednesday, August 23, 2006, Benedict XVI instead focused on the book of Revelation, which also bears the name of the apostle.
The book of Revelation, the last one in the Bible, is held to be one of the most difficult to read and interpret. In modern terminology, its Greek title, “Apocalypse,” is in general associated with the immanent arrival of a catastrophe.
But Benedict XVI has worked the miracle of synthesizing and clarifying in a simple way the meaning of the Apocalypse, in an address of only 1200 words.
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