An Atheist & A Pope Discuss God’s Two Books (Pt. 1)

This month, my “God’s Two Books” column at Catholic World Report proceeds in a slightly different direction than usual. I’ve recently been reading the prolonged correspondence that Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI had with atheist mathematician Piergiorgio Odifreddi. And it turns out that the pontiff’s words are a master class in how meaningful dialogue with non-believers ought to unfold. Here’s my first reflection on this exchange, which I plan to be a two-part feature on the subject at Catholic World Report. As a bonus, here is another link to a substantial Ave Maria in the Afternoon segment in which host Marcus Peter and I discuss the importance of engaging in dialogue with non-believers–of following Benedict XVI’s encouragement to hold our own personalized efforts toward a “Court of the Gentiles.”