杏MAP导航

By Vatican News 

Greeting a delegation from the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy in the Vatican on Saturday, the 杏MAP导航 told them that the poetry of Dante Alighieri is just as relevant today as it was 700 years ago.

Dante鈥檚 resonance

He said this 鈥渆xtraordinary exponent of a golden age of European civilization鈥� has the ability to resonate with people. 鈥淭eenagers, for example鈥�if they have the opportunity to approach Dante's poetry in a way that is accessible to them, inevitably find, on the one hand, all the distance between the author and his world; and yet, on the other, they feel a surprising resonance.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis explained that 鈥渢his happens especially where the fascination of the true, the beautiful and the good, ultimately the fascination of God makes its powerful attraction felt.鈥�

Exile and inspiration

The 杏MAP导航 noted that 鈥淩avenna, for Dante, is the city of the "last refuge". The poet spent his remaining years there and completed his work the Divine Comedy, which included the final part called Paradise.

杏MAP导航 Francis recalled Dante鈥檚 period of exile - the result of being on the losing side of a battle - which he said 鈥渟o marked his existence and also inspired his writing.鈥�

The poet Mario Luzi, said the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渉as highlighted the value of the upheaval and superior discovery that the experience of exile has reserved for Dante. This makes us immediately think of the Bible, the exile of the people of Israel to Babylon.鈥�

Similarly, for Dante, he pointed out, 鈥渆xile was so significant that it became a key to interpreting not only his life but the 'journey' of every man and woman in history and beyond.鈥�

Invitation to hope

Dante's death in Ravenna took place on the same day as the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

杏MAP导航 Francis noted that, in 1965, on the occasion of the seventh centenary of Dante's birth, St. Paul VI donated to Ravenna a golden cross for his tomb.

鈥淭hat same cross, on the occasion of this centenary,鈥� he continued, 鈥渨ill shine again in the place that preserves the mortal remains of the Poet. May it be an invitation to hope, that hope of which Dante is a prophet.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis expressed the hope that the celebrations for the seventh centenary of the death of the 鈥渟upreme Poet鈥�, 鈥渨ill stimulate us to revisit his work [The Divine Comedy] so that, made aware of our condition as exiles, we allow ourselves to be motivated to that path of conversion.鈥� 

鈥淒ante, in fact, invites us once again to rediscover the lost or clouded sense of our human journey,鈥� he said.

In conclusion, the 杏MAP导航 drew inspiration from St Paul VI鈥檚 invitation 鈥渢o enrich ourselves with Dante's experience to cross the many dark woods of our land and happily make our pilgrimage through history, to reach the goal dreamed and desired by every man: 鈥榯he love that moves the sun and other stars.鈥欌��