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John Paul II Foundation / Magazine / Article

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June 10, 2024

On Saturday, June 8, at the Bishop's Seminary in Fiesole, we had the honor of presenting the book "Pilgrim of Peace" by Father Ibrahim Faltas. This book collects the Franciscan's writings published in the John Paul II Foundation's magazine Colloquia Mediterranea, as well as a selection of his emails sent to friends over the years. A Journey between Italy and the Middle East Through the pages of this book, Father Faltas shares accounts of his many trips to Italy and the Middle East, offering profound reflections not only on the foundation's projects, but also on the realities of populations and lands among the most beautiful and troubled in the world. Indeed, these regions constantly face ongoing situations of war and hardship, and Father Faltas' words give voice to these experiences with a tone of hope and faith. A Vision on Historical Complexity The pages of the book offer a view on the historical complexity of the Middle...

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April 25, 2024

Today, April 25, on the occasion of Italian Liberation Day, Civitella in Val di Chiana hosts a solemn commemoration, at which Bishop Luciano Giovannetti, Honorary President of the John Paul II Foundation, is present as a witness and survivor of the horror of June 29, 1944. This event commemorates 80 years since the massacre, when Nazi-Fascist troops carried out a massacre that deeply marked the history of the community. Bishop Luciano, who lived through the horror of those days as a child, returned to his hometown to honor the memory of the victims and witness the community's determination to pursue peace and reconciliation. Alongside him, two other survivors of the massacre will join the commemoration, along with President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. Luciano Giovannetti's personal story is intertwined with the dramatic events of Civitella. Born in the small Tuscan village, Luciano experienced the horror of the massacre up close when he was only 10 years old. Together with his mother, he...

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December 12, 2023

I am Viola Nouhi, and I have been working at the John Paul II Foundation for a few months now, after doing Universal Civil Service in Bethlehem for a year at the Paul VI Effeta Institute. Just about this time last year I was there, cheered by the joy of the children and fascinated by the spirit of Christmas that only the Holy Land can convey. These days I often think back to that time when the war seemed so far away. In a few days it is Christmas again and my heart breaks as I read the news of the conflict that is once again devastating that land. The Dorothean Sisters, who have always run the Institute, tell me every week what is happening in Bethlehem; unfortunately, fewer and fewer students can reach the school. In fact, most live far away and are unable to travel because it is risky to travel the roads and cross the checkpoints. Classes continue online but for...

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December 6, 2023

December 6, 2023 Our school year 2023-24 began in mid-August. We were immersed in intense and creative activity in the various disciplines, but already there was a "polluted" atmosphere that grew, until it exploded in an unthinking dramatic and fatal way on October 7. Since that day, almost all the pupils attending our institute have been locked up in their homes, villages and towns. With courage, we have been trying to reopen the school, but very few children are able to attend. Online classes are very difficult for the hearing-impaired, because children who cannot hear us need to see the lip movement and mimicry of the speaker and manual dexterity to facilitate comprehension. Many have asked to sleep at school, even on the floor, as long as they do not miss the chance to learn and experience the serenity of a normal day-to-day life with their peers. This is tremendous for a...

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November 23, 2023

"Mark (Mark 7:31-37) presents the miracle performed by Jesus that restores hearing to a deaf man." So begins the President of the John Paul II Foundation, Andrea Bottinelli, speaking about the link between Effetà and the Foundation. "The ancient Aramaic word "Effetà," which means "open," is not only emblematic for fostering communication for the hearing impaired; it is paradigmatic for what the Foundation proposes: to open gazes and intelligences in an area of suffering and exclusion and to feel it as one's own." For more than a five-year period, in fact, the Foundation has been supporting the Bethlehem Institute and the Palestinian girls and boys who find shelter, care and a life project within those walls. "We feel that we belong to the family of the Effetà Institute and, like any belonging, it consumes desires, illusions, joys, achievements, renunciations, failures like any creature, which even if not deprived of hearing, sometimes remains deaf to the perception of silence." continues Bottinelli. The bond between the Tuscan non-profit organization and the Pontifical Institute is now well established....

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