Dear Editor, I would like to highlight some interesting aspects of my cultural experiences in the last month, from the perspective of cultural involvement, which is an essential dimension of life, especially for those who have had the privilege of encountering the Christian community. Christ brought with Him a new life and hence, a new way of thinking, entrusting it to the community of those He called.
One significant event that I was pleased to witness was the speech delivered on May 18th by Davide Prosperi, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation. Addressing the members of the Italian Association of Cultural Centers, Prosperi expounded on the theme “Culture: Being for Christ”. His speech transcended the mere address to a group of cultural professionals; it described a dimension that cannot be confined to a single “sector” because, as I reiterate, it concerns the very life of every Catholic Christian community, regardless of its affiliation to the Cl experience. If we desire to “be for Christ,” we must engage daily so that reality is approached with the entirely new criterion that Christ Himself has shown and proclaimed to us. Without this, in my opinion, we would not be able to be effectively present with our works of charity and our missionary zeal. As early as 1959, the Servant of God, Don Luigi Giussani wrote that “the integrality of the dimensions (culture, charity, mission, etc.) of a gesture is not simply a matter of richness or fullness, but is a matter of life or death for the gesture itself, because without the at least implicit setting of all its fundamental dimensions, the gesture is not poor but actually lacks truth, it is contradictory to its nature, it is unjust.” A solid Christian culture enables us to give reasons for our faith and prevents us from conforming to what Jesus refers to as the “world.” In this regard, I found Prosperi’s note (expressed with great discretion) particularly apt in which he emphasized that in dialogue with the world, it is appropriate to rely on the “disarmed beauty” of the Christian proclamation, but that, considering how the world often behaves and reacts, it is sometimes necessary to also resort to an “armed beauty,” not armed with guns and knives (as is the case with representatives of other religions), but armed with the gratuitous reasons that have led us to say yes to Christ and His Church. For this reason, we are called to create “places” where “the judgment that springs from faith sheds a new light, the light of the face of the Risen Christ, on the events of all men and women of our time.” In short, the practical judgment of Christ opens us up to a fascinating and tireless life, ready to engage with the world in order to seek the minimum of truth found in every experience, but far from the temptation to live and behave to please the world (which, incidentally, seems to aim to make us disappear).
Furthermore, from June 14th to 16th, I participated in a new edition of the meetings organized by Tempi in the beautiful town of Caorle under the title “Calling Things by Their Name,” where the “Luigi Amicone” awards were presented. It was all very interesting. In particular, I was struck by the remote speech by Alain Finkielkraut, who demonstrated to be a true free thinker, intolerant of the commonplaces (disguised as progressive ideas) imposed by the mainstream politically correct thinking. I was impressed by how the French philosopher, despite not being openly religious, had the courage (for which he pays a high price, making him “alone” in the French cultural landscape) to remain attached to what Don Giussani would define as “elementary experience” and what Chesterton would refer to as the “common man.” His criticism of those obsessed with “tradition,” to the point of denying reason to their own behaviors and extravagant ideas leading to monstrous consequences, such as reigniting hatred towards Jews, was starkly clear. Finkielkraut’s reassuring voice gives hope for the rebirth of a truthful thought in this desert full of lies.
Lastly, on June 18th and 19th, the first “Whole Human Festival” was held in Rome, organized by the network of associations “Ditelo sui Tetti,” coordinated by the tireless and generous Domenico Menorello. In an impressive whirlwind of discussions and dialogues involving multiple voices, all cultural, social, and political issues were addressed, attempting to answer the question: “Children of which man in the changing era?” Should what is imposed by the triumph of exaggerated “self-determination” automatically prevail, or is it possible to create a climate of dialogue in which to calmly pose the fundamental human questions in view of the measures to be taken, even politically, to serve the common good? The questions posed by Davide Rondoni (man is still broken and needs a savior), Stefano Zecchi (modern man has obliterated beauty), Francesco Botturi (modern man is trapped in a self-referential concept of freedom), among many others, were very thought-provoking. The event concluded with a masterful closing speech by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who described all the malaise of modern man, urging Christians to always bear witness to the beauty and positivity of the Christian experience. This witness was also evident over those two days, during which I was struck by the unity experienced by all present.
In conclusion, dear Editor, it has been a month where I have perceived that, despite everything, the presence of a faint flame persists, which, if well preserved and nurtured, can rekindle the fire (read Saint Catherine of Siena) of a Christian presence that the whole world needs. More hopeful, therefore, but also burdened with responsibility. But we know that Jesus, with the intercession of His saints, lightens the burden of responsibility.
Peppino Zola
Thank you Peppino, for everything you do and for being with us in Caorle. Places exist when there are people willing to “commit,” that is, to be present.
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Dear Editor, after a long time, I felt compelled to write you a letter because I am struck by the many wars raging around the world, causing death and suffering. We must pray for peace, particularly to the saints and our loved ones in heaven like Don Luigi Giussani and Don Giacomo Tantardini. I say this to everyone: to those who read Tempi and even to those who make Tempi. Let us persist, persist, persist with God so that He may listen to us. I am doing my part.
Benedetto Frigerio
Dear Ben, we will persist.
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Dear Editor, a priest who at Christmas sets up a nativity scene in the church where he removes Saint Joseph but includes two Madonnas to explain to the people that rainbow couples are also a type of family, is he a foolish priest or a priestly fool?
Guido Clericetti
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When Pope Francis embraced the austere President of the Indian subcontinent, the newly elected Modi, at the G7 in Borgo Egnazia (Brindisi, June 13-15), the cameras had to linger on the scene longer than usual.
The embrace seemed endless, and the Pope continued to hold this man with a candid beard and mane close to him. I believe that even President Modi was surprised by this human warmth and, unable to break free, he accepted and continued to hug and be hugged by the wheelchair-bound Bishop of Rome. He had to bend down a bit, and this can be good for a “powerful of the earth,” as modern leaders are called. Especially for those who boast having the worst of military deterrents in their secret arsenals, the atomic bomb. To the common people and ordinary citizens, “deterrence” does not matter much, but that’s how the powerful of the Earth face off. With bombs. But in front of the Bishop of Rome in a wheelchair, all their apparent deterrent force was disarmed by the pure smile and embraces. This is how it should be among people, the Pope seemed to say, or rather demanded with endearing stubbornness.
The same “fate” befell Brazilian President Lula, almost a neighbor of the Pope coming from the other side of the world. And the same with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who confirmed the conversion of the Byzantine church of the Holy Savior in Chora to a mosque on May 15, which for the past 79 years had been one of the symbolic museums of Istanbul. The same had happened with the conversion of the wonderful Hagia Sophia Basilica into a mosque in 2020. However, the broader scope of the Universal Brotherhood signed by Pope Francis and Imam Ahmad al-Tayyeb of Al Azhar in the United Arab Emirates on February 5, 2019 goes far beyond immediate human decisions. Pope Francis addresses the hearts of people and, through hugs, brings everything back to how it should be. President Biden rested his forehead against that of the Pope, and even Canadian President Trudeau could not resist the human charge of Francis.
More than words, hugs can achieve unexpected results. At least in the heart, because in the end, the honorary responsibilities will pass. A single great regret seemed to pass over the face of the Pope, the absence of President Putin due to that “senseless” decision, as President Mattarella has repeatedly dubbed it.
In the end, we could say together with the Pope: as long as there are hugs, there is hope.
Gabriele Soliani
We hope. We hope it is as you say, but I fear that many hugs are of Judas.
