Fiction to Real?

Fiction and reality are closely tied to each other. Sometimes reality imitates fiction and vice versa.

This is an interesting article recalling a fiction made by Spanish historian Juan María Laboa in 2012.

In the fiction "Jesus in Rome", Benedict XVI was the pope. Jesus, then, came to Rome together with a group of saints of different time period. They were confronted with the problems of the Church and the world. And in a place like Rome, how would one reach out to the people. In the end, Benedict XVI decided to retire in the Franciscan Monastery of La Verna. The twist was he woke up and it was all a dream.

A passage from the story goes, "Benedict XVI was the first pope who renounced the papacy, but, probably, was the first to consciously believe that, although the love of God and man has no limits, the services that we are asked on this earth are always in function of the projects of the Lord and the good of believers." That is so Benedict XVI.

Benedict XVI's farewell address, "But this does not mean abandoning the Church; indeed, if God asks me this, it is precisely so that I may continue to serve her with the same dedication and the same love with which I have tried to do so until now, but in a way more suited to my age and strength."

Was it really a fiction that turned out prophetic? Or could Benedict XVI have read the book and found wisdom in the story, enough to follow it?

From the synopsis and excerpts, it would be an interesting read not only because of the coincidences but it would make us think and rethink our present culture.