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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Deborah Cole in Berlin

German chancellor chooses pope’s AI encyclical over pacy potboiler as holiday read

Friedrich Merz Germany Jens Spahn Astrology CDU
Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz has faced a string of setbacks since becoming Germany’s chancellor 14 months ago. Photograph: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Summer is normally thought of as the time for pacy potboilers and brain-soothing page-turners – airport reads that wind up sandy and sunscreen-stained. Not so for Friedrich Merz’s holiday reading list.

Germany’s embattled chancellor, who has faced one rough patch after another since taking office 14 months ago, seems to be seeking spiritual guidance this year while putting his feet up.

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