Politics and Active Citizenship: Two Valuable Tools for the Community

Politics and active citizenship — these are the two themes at the heart of our September reflection. Two forces that are never in opposition, but rather complementary instruments for social and human growth. Two forms of service to the community, when understood in their truest and healthiest sense.

A remarkable example of active citizenship comes from the Laudato Si’ Movement, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. We were fortunate and honored to interview its Executive Director, Lorna Gold, who generously and insightfully answered our questions on the eve of the international conference Raising Hope for Climate Change.

Active citizenship is what the volunteer association Operazione Mato Grosso has been promoting for almost sixty years. Since 1967, it has grown steadily, becoming a powerful bridge of solidarity between Italy and South America. Through its missions, OMG provides aid in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, thanks to the dedication of volunteers — both young and not-so-young — working in Italy. We share the extraordinary story of OMG in our interview with missionary Jacopo Manara.

Another remarkable example of active citizenship was Dino Impagliazzo, known as “the chef of the poor,” who devoted his life to feeding the homeless around Rome’s train stations. From his volunteer efforts arose RomAmoR, which we explore in an interview with its president Elio Mattei, accompanied by the testimony of Riccardo Bosi, author of Bread and Dignity, a book dedicated to Dino Impagliazzo.

Politics and active citizenship come together in three brief visual narratives. Pasquale Ferrara, Bruno Cantamessa, and Michele Zanzucchi — during the days of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s journey to Gaza — spoke to us about the importance of dialogue and the responsibility of information. This small trilogy of voices, created in collaboration with Città Nuova, encourages us to view our times through the lens of peace, reminding us that peace begins with the way we speak, think, and act.

Politics also features prominently in the captivating Apple TV+ series Chief of WAR, a nine-episode account of the unification of the Hawaiian Islands at the end of the 18th century. Through this story, we reflected on themes of peace and war, democracy and dictatorship, politics, and the use of weapons — a reading that is both contemporary and universal, inspired by a series that is visually striking and dramatically powerful.

We close this September newsletter with the publication of an interview with Maurizio Certini on the figure of Giorgio La Pira — an extraordinary man and a living example of politics and active citizenship. A figure who remains relevant and inspiring for anyone wishing to engage actively in these two spheres — never in opposition, but rather complementary tools for social and human growth.