Author: Maria Arias

John Paul II Foundation / Articles posted by Maria Arias (Page 8)

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Conversations, Magazine
October 24, 2023

My name is Christine, I am Palestinian, born and raised in Bethlehem. A few years ago I came to Italy to continue my studies and participate in a project related to conflict management and peace building. I participated in this project because I believed and still believe that peace can be built in Palestine, but to make peace first justice must be done. I have experienced wars since I was a child, I have seen the suffering, sadness, anger, resistance and strength of my people. I vividly remember the second intifada and the beginning of the construction of the apartheid wall. I lived through the Israeli occupation and the absence of freedom it caused. In Palestine to say there is no freedom is not rhetoric, it is reality. We cannot move independently from one city to another without Israel's permission. We cannot travel all the roads because some are reserved for Israelis and...

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Conversations, Magazine
October 23, 2023

Stefano Zecchi: Florentine, politician, writer and journalist has always lived in Florence. His efforts in recent years have been aimed at publicizing writers and books, through presentations that are never trivial and always well attended and in interviews, here we publish an interview of his with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who are holding prominent positions in the political, cultural, and ecclesial scene in Italy. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi talks about the search for peace "We look for what unites to solve what divides. Preparing the dialogue is almost more important than the dialogue itself, a bit like creating the system that can then allow the solution to be found." In his Bologna we met with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, who despite his countless commitments welcomed us with his fraternal, helpful style, a style that conveys credibility and hope. With him we addressed some issues of close relevance. Bishop Matteo, this year has been...

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Magazine
October 23, 2023

Florence, October 19, 2023 The John Paul II Foundation, which has been working with cooperation and peace projects in many countries in the Middle East for more than twenty-five years, joins Father Bernardo Gianni's appeal. Last night the Franciscan youth, led by Fr. Matteo Brena, invited to prayer in the Church of San Salvatore al Monte alle Croci, and many responded. On Monday it is Father Bernardo who asks us to climb the "mountain of peace" again, together in silence to ask for peace.We make Father Bernardo's words our own. "I invite you therefore, in these dark hours of anguish, bewilderment and motivated concern for the future not only of that or that other region of our planet, but for the future of the entire human family, to face Monday evening the ascent that leads to this mountain: we will have no words to utter, no slogans to shout, no banners to display: our faces, our...

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Conversations, Magazine
October 19, 2023

As the catastrophic death toll and destruction caused by the Hamas attack mounts, it becomes clear how right the Israeli authorities were to speak immediately of "war." There will be a way to understand how the preparations for this war could have escaped the spies and intelligence of the Jewish state and Egypt, as well as U.S. satellites. Knowing the Israelis, inquiries will come and they will look no one in the face. Perhaps not even in that of Itamar Ben Gvir, the ultra-nationalist (understatement) Minister of National Security, who is obsessed with protecting Jewish settlements in the West Bank, his electoral base, perhaps even to the point of gutting the border with Gaza. But what matters to us now is to understand who declared it and why. Hamas, certainly. But Mohammed Deif, the military leader of Hamas, is no new Von Clausewitz. The director who provided the means, suggested the tactics, inspired the...

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Magazine
October 10, 2023

The John Paul II Foundation, deeply alarmed by the news and images of extraordinary violence coming from Palestine and Israel, condemns every act that sees the annihilation of human life as the answer to its own motives. The escalation of violence, revenge and hatred against men and women, the elderly and children is of grave concern to us. Further apprehension is due to the presence of numerous cooperators and colleagues on the ground, the children and staff of the Effetà Institute in Bethlehem and all the beneficiaries of our projects. Along with the hope that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible we promise the effort and commitment to assist our staff still in the area. In our 25 years of presence there, we have experienced how dialogue, mutual understanding and respect for diversity can pave the way for peaceful and prosperous coexistence for all the communities that call this land home. In these hours when hatred and...

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Conversations, Magazine
October 3, 2023

The public has been bewildered by the rapid changes in national and European policy on the reception of migrants. From the supervised arrivals following the agreements for the European operation Sophia, to the stricter and more rational regime of the Gentiloni government, inspired by Interior Minister Marco Minniti, to the almost total closure of ports by the yellow-green government, by initiatives of Matteo Salvini, to the current situation of uncontrolled arrivals. The trouble is that there is no homogeneous European legislation to regulate the issue of immigration, although, in the past two years, at the urging of Mediterranean countries, Europe has been struggling to create a system of reception and integration that responds to the principles of international law and those of the Treaties. But, so far, with little success, given the opposition of many member states, particularly Germany and its satellites and some Eastern countries. The issue is now on the agenda because of the incessant arrivals of migrants...

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Magazine
September 18, 2023

In September, the International Week of Deaf People is celebrated around the world. "A world where deaf people can use their sign language everywhere!" is the theme chosen for this year that will accompany us from September 18 to 24. There are about 300 sign languages in the world, and states very slowly recognized and made them their own. In Europe, Portugal started in 1997, while Italy recognizes, promotes and protects Italian Sign Language (LIS) and Italian Tactile Sign Language (LIST) with a law only since 2021. In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly chose September 23 as the day to remember, recognize and promote sign languages. This year, in Italy, the national event and a three-day conference will take place in Palermo. So one of the goals we must set for ourselves is bilingualism, something has been done: but it is too...

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