Marta Cartabia. (Photo supplied)
At the beginning of our meeting, Professor Marta Cartabia was quick to point out that she did not feel like a celebrity. This was confirmed by the flow of our conversation with her at Villa Malta, the headquarters of La Civiltà Cattolica. She answered questions with openness, simplicity and the clarity expected of an assured university professor.
During a wide-ranging conversation, she did not shy away from any topic, even though she considered one of our questions “very arduous.”
Her openness allowed us to explore a wide variety of topics: personal engagement in academia and in public affairs; threats to democracy; constitutional reform in Italy today; the war in Ukraine and the future of Europe; and finally, the challenges faced by the Church in our day, youth issues and reflections on violence in society, particularly against women.
We were struck by the frequency with which the professor referred to the need, at all levels, for participation and the sharing of common projects that can address the real problems in people’s lives.
Speaking with certainty, “the point comes back to learning to be together again, even involving groups that are not necessarily close.” Similarly, she felt that the importance given to the role of teachers in the formation of youth should be emphasized. And on young people, her remarks reflect a direct contact and a feeling of trust: they “seek authentic lifestyles and paths; they are not influenced by inherited models.”
Therefore, “let’s give them space and listen to them […], because these young people, even in their difficulties, have the antennae to understand where to find points of reference.”
We thank Professor Cartabia for her helpfulness and gladly share with readers our dialogue with her.
Read the complete article here.
This interview is brought to you by UCA News in association with "La Civiltà Cattolica."
