Pope completes his Jesus trilogy

The pope has completed his trilogy on the life of Jesus Christ with a new book exploring his birth and insisting on its significance for Christians today.

“The Infancy Narratives: Jesus of Nazareth” hits bookstores in 50 countries tomorrow, the third and final instalment of a project the 85-year-old pope conceived a decade ago and began writing soon after he became pope in 2005.

The first two books dealt with Jesus’ public ministry and his death, leaving just Jesus’ birth to complete the series.

In the book, which the Vatican presented today, the pope blends history, theology, linguistics and even astronomy to interpret the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

He laments that despite the evidence of Jesus’ role as saviour of mankind, he remains a contradiction today.