A century-old apocalyptic novel is finding renewed relevance at the highest levels of the Catholic Church. Lord of the World, written in 1907 by Robert Hugh Benson, has been repeatedly recommended by the last three popes — Benedict XVI, Francis, and now Leo XIV — as a profound and prophetic warning about the dangers of a world that rejects faith.
Robert Hugh Benson, once an Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism in 1903 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1904, penned this dystopian science fiction tale portraying a future dominated by secularism, materialism, and state control. In Benson’s vision, traditional values are eroded, religious faith is cast aside, and a charismatic Antichrist ushers in an age of false peace built on ideological conformity.
Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, referenced the book in a 1992 lecture in Milan, calling it a work that “gives much food for thought.” Pope Francis, long an admirer of the novel, spoke about it in Budapest in 2023, calling it “in a certain sense prophetic.” He highlighted how the book foreshadowed a world where human differences are erased, religious traditions suppressed, and technological progress becomes a tool of subtle oppression.
“The book shows,” Francis said, “that mechanical complexity is not true greatness. The most insidious threats are hidden behind grand displays.”
In the novel’s bleak world, euthanasia is normalized, national cultures erased, and people rendered passive under the illusion of peace. Francis warned that such enforced uniformity is a form of “ideological colonization.”
Pope Leo XIV, previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, echoed this view, noting that the book challenges readers to reflect deeply on faith, identity, and humanity’s spiritual needs. He emphasized that the story urges believers not only to keep faith alive but to appreciate the human person in light of God’s love.
Across decades and papacies, Lord of the World remains a striking cautionary tale — one the Church’s highest voices believe is urgently relevant today.