Author Terence Ward Speaks at the Vatican for World Day of Prayer

Terence Ward, author of the novel The Guardian of Mercy: How an Extraordinary Painting by Caravaggio Changed an Ordinary Life Today (published by literary powerhouse, Arcade Publishing), echoed Pope Francis' call that all mankind become stewards of our planet. He spoke at the Vatican on September 1, during World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

"All sacred traditions speak to Compassion and Human Solidarity, which remain the cornerstone of every faith," said Ward. "Voices echo across great distances and time, chanting the same refrain. From the Torah to the Koran, from the Annalects to the word of Ashoka. And, in our New Testament."

Continued Ward: "Today, Pope Francis renews his dialogue with 'every person living on this planet,' a dialogue that he began in Laudato Si. And now it is perfectly clear why his Encyclical was released during this Year of Mercy. We are all tied together. No man is an island. We are bound to creation as stewards of creation."

Ward concluded his remarks by calling for caring for the common homeearth.

Ward's book Guardian of Mercy centers on a Caravaggio masterpiece in Naples called The Seven Acts of Mercy and how it changed the life of its guardian.

Now celebrated as one of the great painters of the Renaissance, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio fled Rome in 1606 to escape retribution for killing a man in a brawl. Three years later he was in Naples, where he paintedThe Seven Acts of Mercy. A year later he died at the age of thirty-eight under mysterious circumstances. InThe Guardian of Mercy, Ward offers a stirring narrative journey into the heart of Caravaggio's artistry and his metamorphosis from fugitive to visionary.

Ward's guide in this journey is a contemporary artist whose own life was transformed by the painting, a simple man named Rafaelle, who shows him where it still hangs in a small church in Naples and whose story helps him see its many layers. As Ward unfolds the structure of the painting, he explains each of the seven mercies and their influence on Caravaggio's troubled existence. Caravaggio encountered the whole range of Naples's vertical social layers, from the lowest ranks of poverty to lofty gilded aristocratic circles, and Ward reveals the old city behind today's metropolis. Fusing elements of history, biography, memoir, travelogue, and journalism, his narrative maps the movement from estrangement to grace, as we witness Caravaggio's bruised life gradually redeemed by art.

Praise for The Guardian of Mercy

"This is a story of grace! Terence Ward's powerful, moving narrative interweaves Caravaggio's life story with those of people in contemporary Naples whose lives are transformed by the power of artand mercy." Elaine Pagels, Harrington Professor of Religion, Princeton University

"Ward's work offers a refreshing look at a once-forgottenbut now much-celebratedartistic genius. The author also reveals the subtle and profound ways in which art and life interact. Fascinating reading about a significant artistic figure and his legacy." Kirkus

Terence Wardwas born in Boulder, Colorado, and spent his childhood in Saudi Arabia and Iran. Also the author of Searching for Hassan(Anchor 2003), he is a cross-cultural consultant who has advised corporations and governments in the Islamic world and the West. He divides his time between Florence, Italy and New York City.

SKYHORSE PUBLISHING

Skyhorse Publishing, one of the fastest-growing independent book publishers in the United States, was launched in September 2006 by Tony Lyons, former president and publisher of the Lyons Press. It has had forty-two titles on the New York Times bestseller list over the course of its ten-year history.

With a backlist of over 6,000 titles, Skyhorse publishes a maverick list that includes fiction, nonfiction, history, politics, rural living, cooking, humor, and children's books. A Skyhorse imprint since 2010, Arcade has published literary giants such as Samuel Beckett, E. M. Cioran, and Leo Tolstoy, alongside new voices such as Andre Makine and Ismail Kadare. In 2012, Chinese novelist Mo Yan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Arcade was founded by Richard and Jeannette Seaver in 1988.

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