“Even if salvation does not come, I want to be worthy of it in every moment” (F. Kafka) We offer as the editorial of the first issue of Traces for 2002 the written text sent by Pierluigi Battista, editorialist for the Italian daily newspaper La...
Everyone who knows about the events of those times from my works or the works of others, may be sure that every time the Prince ordered exiles or slaughters, thanks were rendered to the gods, and that the ceremonies which once characterized happy events...
One hundred thirty seven years ago, John Henry Newman wrote, “Observing the world far and wide, the vicissitudes of its history, the multiplicity of human races, their beginnings, fates, mutual alienation, conflicts; the feats or purposeless wanderings;...
In these weeks that slip by, covered by the leaden feeling of war, numerous comments have been made on a theme batted about by politicians, writers, and journalists. Are our civilization and our culture “superior” to the others, and in particular,...
The terrorist acts perpetrated on the United States represent, first of all, a horrendous surprise. The symbols of power in the world were demolished, bringing thousands of dead down with them. It is as though the power, the greatest display of the human...
At the upcoming Meeting in Rimini, a great exhibition will shed light on one of the most recent periods in which Italian culture has discussed “realisms.” This is a timely topic. It is a fact that in the modern era one of the words whose commonly accepted...
It very often happens that intellectuals, theologians, and other representatives of that category which Charles Péguy called the “clerical clericals” set themselves to criticizing what the Pope says or does. They claim to represent “the simple faithful”...
On the walls of our cities and in the media for a number of months, there has been a recurrent factor in many advertising campaigns: an insistence on the “I.” “Because I’m worth it,” say some famous (and affluent) figures as they hold up perfume or other...
St. Ambrose’s hymn for Easter says that from that day on, the only one to die is death. This text reminds us of how the thief stole at the end, he grabbed eternal life at the last instant, and through a wondrous mystery, the flesh of One saved the flesh...
We offer as this month’s editorial the notes of Father Giussani’s closing words to the CL National Council on Saturday, February 17th. They provide a further deepening of the thoughts expressed in February’s Word Among Us (“Charism and History”),...
If 2000 was the year of the Jubilee, what will 2001 be? Already many have let themselves be tempted by the reference to Stanley Kubrick’s famous film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. In effect, many of the questions now on the table have to do with the problem of...
In this, the first issue of 2001, we offer a letter from Fr. Giussani to the editor of la Repubblica, which appeared in the December 24, 2000, issue of the daily newspaper Dear Editor, The bomb placed a few days ago on the roof of the Milan Cathedral...
A people arises in history as the result of an event. This event can be the personality of a king or a saint, or a series of happenings which is seen in a new light by the consciousness of some persons. But what are the phenomena that mark the existence...
The Jubilee of youth, of the elderly, university students, artists, sports figures, the sick, politicians… Many have grimaced at the series of great gatherings around the Pope to celebrate the second millennium since the birth of Christ. Some have made...
Forty years ago, in the classes where Father Giussani started teaching, the discussion between him and his students focused immediately on the relationship between faith and reason. His young interlocutors felt the two concepts were diverging lines that...
The following editorial is a commentary on World Youth Day and on the Meeting in Rimini by Giancarlo Cesana, which appeared in the Italian daily newspaper, Avvenire, on August 24th After commenting extensively and exhaustively on the Jubilee of Youth,...
On Saturday, June 24th, the CL National Council met in Milan. At the end of the session, Father Giussani offered a few thoughts summarizing the CL year just ending. We present it now to everyone, as a judgment on the life of the Movement and as a point of...
In recent weeks, turning the pages of Italian newspapers and news magazines of the so-called “lay” or even “secular” area, it has not been rare to find articles about the presence in society of a “phenomenon” called CL. The exploration that begins with...
Some recent events (the elections, the birth of a new government, referendum) have put politics back in the center of the debate in Italy. In recent years this word, as a result of demonization in courtrooms and the media, has been unpopular. Today...
Pope John Paul II's recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land filled the pages of newspapers and television services all over the world. The event's importance was stressed and commented on in many ways. However, there was one fact that struck everyone, as the...
You need good reasons, these days, to sustain a commitment to politics. In a moment like this, it is more evident that political action and even an interest in it are directly linked to a question of education: in fact, the purpose of political commitment...