New Translations of "Jesus of Nazareth" Continue to Be Released
VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Just over a month since its publication, Benedict XVI's latest book has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
News about "Jesus of Nazareth" was announced by the Rizzoli publishing house, the publishers of the book in Italy. Rizzoli also controls the worldwide rights for the Vatican's publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
The figures refer to the sales of the Italian, Slovenian, Greek, Polish and various English editions. Some of these editions, such as those in English, were just released last week.
According to Father Claudio Rossini, director of Libreria Editrice Vaticana, "The diffusion of this book, before being a cultural and commercial matter, is above all an ecclesial and ecumenical event."
The Greek edition of the book was released today. It contains a postscript by the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I.
Included in the postscript, the Orthodox patriarch wrote that he hopes the Pope's book will increase theological dialogue between the Churches in "the hope of overcoming, definitively, the centuries-long division" and that "the two Churches and their faithful may be united, not only in charity, but also in the faith and in the sacraments."
There are 42 editors worldwide who have agreements to publish "Jesus of Nazareth," and 30 translations are in the works.
Code: ZE07052404
Date: 2007-05-24