If you could speak with any historical figure, who would you choose? This is a question most people have thought about, including Pope John Paul I.
He wrote 40 letters narrating imaginary conversations with Sancho Panza, the squire of Don Quixote; Penelope, the wife of Ulysses; Queen Maria Theresa of Austria; authors Dickens or Goethe; and even Jesus Christ.
These letters were put into a book, called 'Illustrious.' It was published by the Pope in 1976, when he was still a cardinal. But even before the book, these texts had appeared in some Italian newspapers.
Almost 50 years later, the fourth edition of the book was presented by the John Paul I Vatican Foundation. Its goal is to raise awareness of the figure of Cardinal Luciani, since his pontificate lasted only 33 days.
Pope John Paul I's original library contained some 5,000 volumes. Once elected to the papacy, all the books were transferred the following day to the Vatican and, after his death, many of them were dispersed.
The Foundation's idea is to protect and keep these works together. To do this, a conference was organized in Venice, Cardinal Luciani's native city and where he served as patriarch.
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