A Prophetic Warning: Why Popes Keep Recommending Benson’s ‘Lord of the World’

Pope Francis and others endorse Robert Hugh Benson’s 1907 dystopian novel, a prophetic tale of secularism and faith’s decline in a tech-driven world.

Newsroom (13/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a world increasingly shaped by technology, secularism, and shifting moral landscapes, a 1907 dystopian novel continues to resonate with the highest echelons of the Catholic Church. Lord of the World, penned by English convert and priest Robert Hugh Benson, has been publicly endorsed by Pope Francis, his predecessor Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), and his successor, Pope Leo XIV, speaking as Cardinal Robert Prevost. Their endorsements underscore the novel’s chilling prescience and its enduring relevance as a cautionary tale about the perils of a godless society.

The novel’s prominence began to surface notably in 2015, when Pope Francis, aboard a flight from the Philippines to the Vatican, urged journalists to read it. “There is a book … it is called Lord of the World. The author is Benson … I suggest you read it,” he said. “Reading it, you’ll understand well what I mean by ideological colonization.” He described the work as prophetic, particularly in its portrayal of secularism, relativism, and a notion of “progress” untethered from spiritual or moral foundations. In 2023, during a talk in Budapest, Francis reiterated his recommendation, warning academics and cultural figures about a future dominated by technology and its existential threats to human identity and culture.

The novel’s appeal to pontiffs is not new. In 1992, Cardinal Ratzinger, in a lecture in Milan, called Lord of the World a work that “gives much food for thought.” More recently, in September 2023, Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the novel’s warning of a faithless world under siege by technologically advanced secular elites.

A Dystopian Vision Rooted in Faith

Lord of the World is set in a 21st-century world where Christianity has waned, and a secular ideology termed “Humanitarianism” reigns supreme. Political and cultural elites rally around a charismatic global leader—widely interpreted as an Antichrist figure—who promises peace and unity but delivers oppression. The Catholic Church, though reduced to a remnant, persists, with the papacy at the heart of the narrative’s conflict. This clash between faith and a technologically superior, godless society forms the novel’s core.

Benson, the son of a former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, converted to Catholicism in 1903 at age 31. Known for historical fiction, his foray into dystopian literature with Lord of the World marked a bold departure. “By the end of the 19th century, apocalypse literature was experiencing something of a renaissance, mirroring the burgeoning genre of science fiction,” says Kristen Van Uden Theriault, an author and commentator, in an interview with the National Catholic Register. She situates Benson’s work within a broader wave of dystopian literature that, while often secular, offered prophetic warnings about unbridled technological advancement, collectivism, and totalitarianism.

Theriault draws a parallel between Benson and St. John Henry Newman, a fellow Anglican convert whose writings on the Antichrist anticipated the rise of ideologies like communism, socialism, and Modernism. Newman warned of “the tyranny of subjectivism,” where religion is relegated to personal conscience rather than recognized as objective truth. Benson’s “Humanitarianism” in Lord of the World embodies these warnings, depicting a godless social order that mirrors fallen humanity rather than divine hierarchy.

A Prophetic Mirror to Modernity

How does Benson’s vision hold up in the 21st century? Theriault calls it “prescient in many ways.” She points to Benson’s foresight of an international governing body—reminiscent of the United Nations—and institutionalized euthanasia, strikingly similar to Canada’s “Medical Assistance in Dying” laws. “In a deeper sense, his depiction of a godless society led by pleasure, scientism, and rejection of God reads like a description from our century,” she says. “Life is cheap in Benson’s apocalyptic hellscape, as it is in our contemporary culture of death.”

Yet, for all its darkness, the novel offers hope. “Despite Antichrist’s devious scheming, we know who wins in the end,” Theriault notes, emphasizing the novel’s alignment with Catholic eschatology, which promises divine triumph.

As a work of fiction, Lord of the World stands out in a crowded field of early 20th-century dystopian novels. “By the beginning of the 20th century, dystopian, futuristic novels were a dime a dozen: a dark, depressing, ill-written pile,” says novelist Eleanor Bourg Nicholson. She praises Benson’s work for its vivid, relatable characters and its blend of speculative and mystical elements. Unlike allegorical proselytizing, the novel engages readers with profound moral questions about humanity’s relationship with God, the purpose of religion, and the meaning of existence.

Nicholson also sees prophetic elements in Benson’s Antichrist—a charismatic, inoffensive politician promoting “peace” who could easily garner public appeal today. “Benson conceives of the Antichrist as someone we can imagine in our own time,” she observes.

A Literary Pioneer with Lasting Influence

Author and editor Joseph Pearce hails Benson as a “visionary” whose novel paved the way for later dystopian classics like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. “Benson was ahead of his time—a pioneer, avant-garde in the true and fullest sense of the word,” Pearce told the Register. He notes the novel’s enduring relevance, a hallmark of great literature, and its influence on 20th-century thought.

Benson later wrote The Dawn of All, a futuristic novel offering a more optimistic counterpoint to Lord of the World’s gloom. Pearce suggests that the apocalyptic ending of Lord of the World, far from being bleak, heralds the Second Coming—a hopeful conclusion for Christians. “How is that anything but the happiest of endings?” he asks.

A Papal Call to Reflection

The repeated papal endorsements of Lord of the World signal more than literary appreciation; they reflect a call to vigilance in an age of rapid technological and cultural change. As Pope Francis warned of “ideological colonization” and the dehumanizing potential of unchecked progress, Benson’s novel serves as both a mirror and a warning. Its vision of a world seduced by secular promises and led by a charismatic deceiver challenges readers to confront the moral and spiritual stakes of modernity.

For Catholics and non-Catholics alike, Lord of the World remains a provocative work—one that, as Pearce notes, “speaks as ominously to our own century” as it did to Benson’s. Its ability to spark theological debate, engage moral questions, and foresee societal trends ensures its place not only in literary history but also in the ongoing dialogue about faith, technology, and the future of humanity.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from NCRegister

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