When Prime Minister Conte extended the emergency lockdown measures to all of Italy on the evening of March 9, 2020, the crisis ceased to be a regional crisis. What had been happening in the north (newsletter no. 11) became the story of an entire nation. Now Lucina Spaccia reflects on what #iorestoacasa means—and what it demands—from the most fragile among us. For many, staying home is a novel exercise. For countless others, it is an extension of isolation they already know. With gathering places suddenly unreachable for everyone, have we not created an invisible yet brutally real universal architectural barrier?
People respond with worry and anger—witness the frustration of Giovanni Grossi and our blogger Benedetta. But they also respond with surprising humanity. Across Italy, dozens of initiatives have sprung up to bridge distances most of us never knew existed until now. The hope: that when the emergency ends, this rediscovered sense of community will not vanish with it.
Mariangela Bertolini and a Prize Strangely Accepted – "Those whom the world often deems insignificant, despises, considers useless or cursed—they will be our guides, because the Gospel says the kingdom of heaven belongs to them." So wrote Giulia Galeotti in her account of the 2002 Woman of the Year award presented to Mariangela Bertolini in Rome. "I don't quite understand how, but I entrust myself to this woman who does. To her hands, to her smile."
Reading that article eighteen years later is a beautiful way to honor the woman who brought Faith and Light to Italy and founded Ombre e Luci. It also explains why someone so private, so reluctant to accept recognition—"a Roman aqueduct, solid and necessary, a monument without pretending to be one"—would have said yes to this award.
Testimony – When a baby, surrounded by machines and already bearing the scars of multiple surgeries, is declared eligible for adoption despite an uncertain prognosis, fear and doubt can paralyze prospective parents. Yet for Paolo and Mara Catapano, almost twenty years later, that moment seems to have lasted only an instant. Their faith in the determination of Maurizio, whom they met at Casa Betania, made them parents. It gave them the strength to look past the obvious obstacles, to follow Maurizio's smile whenever they needed to.
Benedetta's Blog
It Needs to End Right Now
I don't know if I like shopping. I really don't. I don't get it. Whatever. Everyone tells me take some money and go to the store and buy stuff. But why do I have to do it? I don't know. But then I go anyway. Read more...
Calendar
Television – Starting Saturday, March 14, at 7 p.m., TV2000 (channel 28 on digital terrestrial, 157 on Sky) will broadcast the Saturday evening Mass in Italian Sign Language (LIS), live from the Sanctuary of Divine Love, with Cardinal De Donatis presiding.
Initiatives – The publisher Uovonero, the association Autismo è, and Spazio Nautilus Milano are launching #Intantofaccioqualcosa to share videos and materials for people with disabilities. The project includes books read in PCS as well.
What to Do – The Council of Ministers has published a helpful FAQ page covering specific measures for people with disabilities.
Faith and Light Life
All community activities are suspended through April 3, but Faith and Light remains a community thanks to the hashtag #CloseFromAFar. Dozens of photos and videos have poured in from across Italy. From singing from the rooftops of Rome by Fabio to video calls in the Giuliani household, from Angela's message of hope to countless drawings—like Greta's from Bari—and to taralli kneaded with love in Fasano.
While friends and parents respond with creativity and patience, Don Marco Bove, the international spiritual assistant of Faith and Light, continues to guide us through Lent with a series of video messages: a journey of sharing and communion strong enough to break through the barriers of coronavirus.
#EditorialTeamWorking – We in the editorial office have also had to adapt to the health guidelines of #IStayHome: lots of remote work and meetings only via Skype!