Pope Benedict XVI may not have the media cache of his predecessor, but he's working on it. The pontiff will kick off a six-day Bible-reading marathon that will be broadcast live on Italian television and the Internet this fall. The Guardian reports the pope will read aloud the first chapter of Genesis, then be followed by about 1,200 volunteers who will continue reading 'round the clock through Revelation.
A Vatican official called the readathon, scheduled to begin October 5, "an appeal to the Catholic church to go back to studying and deepening its knowledge of the Holy Scriptures." (More Pope Benedict XVI stories.)