Missouri’s Sen. Roy Blunt meets Pope Francis during USA visit

John’s Bible was presented in a private reception with Pope Francis after his remarks to Congress Thursday.

Pope Francis is addressing Congress tomorrow, and he plans to bring a pretty nice gift along with him.

Believed to be the first handwritten and illuminated bible produced since the invention of the printing press, the seven volume work is one of 12 such sets commissioned by a Minnesota Benedictine abbey.

According to a news release from public relations firm Weber Shandwick, the book contains more than 160 illustrations on more than 1,130 pages.

Nick Ferraro can be reached at 651-228-2173. The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, received the Bible on behalf of the American people. Visitors will be able to find it on the north side of the Great Hall of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building from September 26, 2015 to January 02, 2016. House Speaker John Boehner and Blunt, who chairs a committee on the library, were present when Francis donated the Bible.

“We have it on display with 13th century hand written bibles and 15th century illuminated manuscripts so that visitors can see what the original art form looks like”, Dimunation says.

St. John’s partnered with calligrapher Donald Jackson to create the Bible. It was exhibited at the Library in 2006, in a three-month exhibition titled “Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible”.