Pope's new book to hit Italian stores

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Canada.com
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

ROME -- Pope John Paul's latest book, Memory and Identity: Conversations Between Millenniums, will go on sale in Italy on Feb. 23, the publishing house Rizzoli said Wednesday.

The Pope's fifth book is essentially a transcript of conversations he had in Polish with his close friends political philosopher Krzysztof Michalski and the late Rev. Jozef Tishner in 1993 at his summer residence near Rome. The book's question-answer format takes a look at Europe over the last 100 years, seeking to identify the "roots of evil" such as the rise of communism, fascism and Nazism, and tackling major issues such as the relationship between church and state.

The Pope's first book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, came out a decade ago and sold 20 million copies as an international best seller. Rizzoli International was expected to release Memory and Identity soon.
http://www.canada.com/entertainment/books/story.html?id=48323fea-bb95-4bc6-8c5a-303f17ee7bcf

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1. How Jesus told a good gag

Sophie Arie in Rome
Wednesday February 16, 2005
The Guardian

It's not a book known for its comedic value, but look beyond the death, disease and destruction of the Bible, and lo, you will find a joke or two.

That is the view of theological scholars who have gathered in Italy to try to dispel the idea that ancient Christians were a po-faced lot, who struggled for a sense of humour.

In a three-day conference at Turin University, entitled Laughter and Comedy in Ancient Christianity, experts have been presenting papers on themes such as Laughter in the Old Testament and Comedy in the Bible Today.

Some have found indications that Jesus Christ had a sense of humour and references to laughter and comic moments in the scriptures.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1415402,00.html