Here's the translation of an Apcom report quoting from an editorial in the current issue of the Rome-based Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica. I was hoping Sandro Magister already had the full editorial, but on his blog today, he has something else from the magazine, but more on that later:
The La Sapienza episode:
A failure of Italian democracy
VATICAN CITY, Jan. 31 (Apcom) - "Our democracy has shown itself unable to handle not even such a relatively minor conflict but has yielded to the intolerant [elements of society]"
The case of the cancelled papal visit to La Sapienza University is not closed, obviously, because this time, it is the topic of an editorial in the current issue of La Civilta Cattolica, the bi-weekly Jesuit magazine whose articles are screened by the Vatican Secretary of State.
'The Pope did not go to La Sapienza' is the title of the editorial which refers to the episode as 'unpleasant'.
The editorial recounts the episode by taking off from the Angelus of January 20 and expresses regret that such an episode should have taken place in a university.
"Unfortunately," says the editorial, "a little blaze that has never quite gone out in Italy has emerged from the ashes, which this time seems to be growing daily: anti-clericalism and radical secularism."
"The La Sapienza episode," it goes on, "has brought discredit to authentic secularity, making seculars appear to be intolerant and incapable of dialog." In this sense, "one cannot be silent about the democracy in force today in Italy (which) has shown itself unable to handle even such a relatively minor conflict (and) has yielded to the intolerants."