« I would much rather have met him freely and intimately, rather than in a formal setting, as a minister, where I would have had to stay behind the president. “, confided the woman who participated in the first government led by Édouard Philippe.
For this trip, she was accompanied by Vincent Montagne, President of the SNE and the Média-Participations group, and his wife Alix, President of the Aide à l’Église en détresse Foundation since 2021. It is I-Média, the press agency ” Vatican specialist », attached to Média-Participation, which tells us, among other things, about this literary and spiritual journey.
Previously, Françoise Nyssen had discovered “ with surprise and pleasure ” the Pope’s letter, published on August 4, on the importance of literature in education. A text initially designed to awaken seminarians to the humanities, beyond philosophy and theology, which ultimately proved relevant to a wider audience.
The pontiff emphasizes the importance of reading as fundamental to faith and personal maturity, contrasting its intellectual and spiritual benefits with the impoverishment caused by screens and modern media. He defends the integration of literature in ecclesiastical formation, shares his own teaching experiences and expresses his preferences for tragic works that resonate with human struggles. Finally, he encourages a personal and flexible approach in the choice of readings.
Beautiful gifts
The former minister is formal: ” The Pope’s voice carries through French literary and intellectual circles “, despite the ” lack of transcendence ” that secular culture presents. ” I myself am not baptized, but when I left, I promised the Pope that I would pray for him. ” she continues.
The former head of Actes Sud publishing house was accompanied by a bag containing books published by the house founded by her father Hubert Nyssen, among which was an essay by a certain Edgar Morin, Brotherhood, why?. The thinker became a sort of ” saint “secular, and which carries a point of view” of radical unbeliever “… But not only that: “ In particular, I gave him books by Sébastien Lapaque, who is very religious, as well as books by Muriel Barbery, Laurent Gaudé, Jérôme Ferrari… He was also very touched by the poems of Mahmoud Darwich. “, describes Françoise Nyssen, and adds: ” We feel that he loves it, that he really has a passion for literature. »
The latter was able to speak with the sovereign pontiff for 45 minutes, also sharing personal moments, including the memory of her son Antoine, who committed suicide in 2012 at the age of 18. She offered the pope a drawing of her son, accompanied by his last words.
« How lucky we are to have such a man, and how sad to see that politicians cannot keep their word over time. “, the editor further stated, continuing that “ The tragedy of ministerial life is when window-advisors, supposed to report echoes of world life, become mirror-courtiers “More generally, she laments the brevity of contemporary politics, contrasting with what she sees as the constancy that the office of pope allows.
The Pope and Amazon
She finds the Pope’s ability to engage with figures from all walks of life without political constraints particularly notable, as evidenced by his recent audience with Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. She hopes ” that he was able to tell him about the dangers of over-concentration ” in the marketing of books.
The former minister also stressed the Pope’s continued interest in subjects that are dear to him, such as ecology, a theme that she herself has promoted in France by publishing authors such as Pierre Rabhi and Cyril Dion. She hopes that the pontiff will soon publish a document on education, although he has entrusted her with preparing a text on history.
His work, Be Happy! – Happiness is possible, right now (trans. Samuel Sfez and Libreria Editrice Vaticana) was published in 2023 by Philippe Rey, when his Bulle du Jubilee 2025, Hope does not disappoint – Spes non confundit, was published by Editions du Cerf.
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She now wishes, not without humor, to participate in an apostolic journey on board the papal plane: ” I would like to do everything to be accepted… For example, I am very good at cooking! “, she concludes with a hearty laugh. One of the most significant events of her life, in any case, she assures us.
Photo credits: ActuaLitté (CC BY-SA 2.0)
