“Thinking out of the box”

“Corruption is a problem that grows in all democracies, especially in those with strong social imbalances. Not to mention totalitarian systems, where the phenomenon is prevalent. What does this situation show? A deficiency in control but mostly, ultimately, a deficit in personal responsibility. In Italy there are historical reasons that fuel an anti-State mindset according to which stealing from the community is less serious than stealing from individuals. In reality, it causes serious harm to the common good, which holds together any community and demands self-acknowledgement as heirs, enjoying the fruits of sacrifices made by others: a form of gratitude that grows into loyalty to the common good and loyalty to those who will come after us”. In the first days of 2015 the General Secretary of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor Nunzio Galantino, welcomed the request of SIR editor-in-chief Domenico Delle Foglie, to address a set of “hot” issues in the ecclesial and civil realms. The analysis started from the situation in Italy, including the current public scandals that appear to have further distanced citizens from politics. The overview then focused on the agenda of the Italian Church in the coming months, as well as the thrusts coming from Pope Francis’ ministry. In the framework of a new awareness of our national identity, what can be the role of the Florence Conference, scheduled for autumn 2015 on “In Jesus Christ the new Humanism?” “Florence 2015 is a central appointment for our Churches which we intend to live under the banner of experience and not of academia. While the term “conference” is a token to the decade-long tradition of the past 50 years, it should be borne in mind that the November event entails much more, starting with the very meaning of the term, which, as many others, is understood in its original, authentic derivation: to con-vene, to meet, to jointly draw up the contours of a Church that intends to seriously, and confidently incorporate the ‘Evangelii gaudium’ that she has inherited. Francis’ apostolic exhortation invites us to think out of the box, to relinquish reiterated analytical benchmarks, and be inspired by the personal witnesses capable of communicating with life – that encompasses also weaknesses and imperfections – the beauty of the human person. I consider this as the main feature of the autumn event (November 9-13 2015). Indeed, it does not guarantee immediate transformations, but it enables us to follow a path of fraternity, enabling us to rekindle confidence and hope. I would simplify this path into three passages”. Which ones? “First of all the joy of the Gospel which abandons the disconsolate tones of ‘good old times’ and takes the initiative, it gets involved, accompanies, fructifies and experiences shared joy. Secondly, it is a matter of highlighting the social relevance of the faith, because the incarnation suggests assuming human limits, but the purpose is to ensure they are exceeded by a community of people who distance themselves from individualism and from the idolatry of money, cooperating for justice and social peace, in a spirit of brotherhood and filial freedom. The third passage is returning to the essentials, that is to pray and work”. Do you believe that the Italian Church is already indulging in the idea of an “outgoing Church”, “poor and for the poor”, strongly wanted by the Pope? “I believe that the Italian Church – always present in the lives of the man of the street – should more effectively integrate the choice for the poor in her traditional presence in a society that is tired and disillusioned in this decade of economic crisis”. In 2015 Italian legislators, after having adopted the “short” divorce procedure, could address sensitive issues such as homosexual marriage, adoption for married couples, extended heterologous insemination, adoption for homosexual couples, heterologous insemination extended to homosexual couples, end-of-life law or regulating euthanasia. In your opinion, how should the Italian Church react vis a vis the legislator’s decisions? “In the coming year the Church will be experiencing the final chapter of the Synod called by Pope Francis to restore a central role to the family. This decision is telling of the criteria that inspires the Church, namely, not to start from the individual but rather to acknowledge the human person within his/her vital relationships. This is not an ideological vision but rather a simple and concrete experience, whereby the encounter of a man and a woman prompt the possibility of generating a new life. The Church continues her witness by tuning in to the suffering and the traumas of society, which despite being adult, is often closed within its own suffering. She is not impressed by laws, because deeply-rooted ethos should be imparted, and it represents the ultimate evaluation criteria”.