Romana

Every Christian has a duty to take part actively in public life, in accord with “each one’s possibilities and talents,” said Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian Bishops Conference. He was speaking at the ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Istituto Superiore di Scienze Religiose all’Apollinare (ISSRA), celebrated on November 12th at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Also taking part in the gathering was Professor Sergio Belardinelli from the University of Bologna who spoke on “Room for Religion in a Postmodern Society.” He stressed that “in a world which no longer seems to recognize any difference between truth and error, or worse still, between truth and falsehood, the primordial task is that of keeping alive the very idea of truth.”

During the academic ceremony, the new master’s program in “Religion and Society” was announced, slated to begin in January 2012. Professor Marco Porta, director of the Institute at the University of the Holy Cross, said that the new master’s program would pay special attention “to the present day crisis of anthropology, ethics and politics,” along with other crucial questions including “multiculturalism, religious pluralism, and the relationship between the Magisterium and the laity who participate actively in public life.”

The conference continued with a photographic exposition on the history of the Institute and testimonies from some of the students who have been formed there. In conclusion, Msgr. Angelo Vincenzo Zani (Undersecretary for the Congregation for Catholic Education), celebrated Holy Mass in the Basilica of St. Apollinaris.