” “Even if "the time we are living in shows indubitable signs of uncertainty and bewilderment", we have to go beyond "its wounds and contradictions" if we want to "be able to see the invisible and cultivate hope, which is far more than optimism". This, as told to SIR by mgr. Giuseppe Betori, secretary general of the Italian Bishops Conference (Cei), is "the glance with which we bishops look at the Country". In an end-of-year interview after the Verona meeting, full of extremely poignant moments, for instance the Agora of the Young, the Social Week, and faced with the discouraging images of Italy that have been offered by some recent sociological surveys, mgr. Betori comments: "Great are the risks a resigned, relativistic mentality brings along", but we must also dwell "on the immeasurable healthy energies, the aspirations to truth and good, the many gestures of reconciliation and care for life that often remain hidden". Then, about the non-infrequent representations of the Church as a "besieged citadel", the secretary general of the Italian Bishops Conference specifies: "The Church does not feel besieged in Italy. This image is quite alien to us". Deeply rooted in the territory, "the Christian communities shape a people that is a lively, generous part of the social fabric of our country, for the good of which the Church keeps speaking and above all working daily". (continued)” “
