In the brief reflections offered here I am prompted by a provocative idea of the philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas and by an approach enunciated by Pope Francis.
1. Lévinas writes in Otherwise Than Being,
The true problem for us Westerners is not so much to refuse violence as to question ourselves...
A few weeks ago I took part in a Conference in Brescia in honour of the 60th anniversary of Paul VI’s Encyclica Populorum Progressio (March 1967). This document contains interesting reflections on the issue of violence. Paul VI, of course, criticises the use of violence, but he admits some...
At the second WMPM (World Meeting of Popular Movements), held in Bolivia in 2015, after the first which took place in Rome in 2014, President Evo Morales presented Pope Francis with a cross composed of a hammer and sickle. Reading the speech given by the Pope at the last Meeting (Rome 2016) – this...
During the private audience that Alexis Tsipras, then still leader of Greece’s parliamentary opposition, and I had with the Pope in 2014, which, as L’Osservatore Romano reported, lasted 35 minutes, the Pontiff said it was high time to turn a new leaf in the relations between the Catholic Church and...
This conference is inviting contributions from all disciplinary fields exploring the possibilities of a transversal social ethics in the sense of Laudato si’ and social ecological transformation, and aiming at investigating the relevance of this text for thinking about alternatives to the current anthropological and socio-ecological crisis.
On 8 November, the DIALOP position paper was presented in the European Parliament, documenting the common positions of Christians and leftists on a common social ethic.
transform! yearbook 2022 looks at how left politics has been challenged by the Covid pandemic and asks what a programme of left demands for pandemic research, prevention and treatment might look like. transform! yearbook 2022 will be released in June.
Read the statement on the war in Ukraine by DIALOP, Transversal Dialogue Project. DIALOP aims to promote dialogue between Marxist and Christian positions and develop common commitments to peace, non-violence, social justice, democracy, and ecological transformation.
The DIALOP is a joint project between universities, foundations, and associations, developed by faculty members with different ideological and philosophical, Marxist or Christian backgrounds. In times of growing social challenges, its aim is to promote dialogue between Marxist and Christian...
Even though a society based on human dignity, ensuring a fair share of wealth and participation for everyone on matters concerning community has not yet been achieved, this Southern Bohemian town, founded 600 years ago, became an interesting example of the complexity and tenacity of this struggle.
When the left thinks about alternatives they usually envision struggles. Already Marx and Engels understood the history of all societies up to then as 'the history of class struggles'. Wolfgang Kessler, chief editor for more than twenty years of the Publik-Forum – a left-oriented Catholic journal – shows that these struggles also require an art.
Syros is an island three hours by ferry from Athens and the ‘capital’, as it were, of the Aegean Islands. Its history is one of refugees and immigrants who brought with them diverse cultures and religions, which still exist today in respectful coexistence. The presence of two churches, one Catholic...
Ever since the meeting of Alexis Tsipras and Walter Baier with Pope Francis in September 2014, the contents of this proposal have been clearly focused on war and peace, poverty and social justice, ways out of the ecological crisis, and a humanistic approach to the immigration crisis.
The election of Pope Francis obviously created a new climate for the relations between the Church and the European Left. At the meeting in September 2014 between the Pope, Alexis Tsipras and Walter Baier, the principle was adopted of beginning a new process of dialogue between Catholics and Marxists.
On Thursday 18 September, Pope Francis received in a private audience the two European politicians of the Left, Alexis Tsipras and Walter Baier. Tsipras is Vice president of the European Left Party and president of the Greek party SYRIZA. Baier is coordinator of the network transform! europe. The meeting served the purpose of introducing an unconventional dialogue in the face of an increasingly dangerous global situation.
“This economy kills”, Pope Francis wrote 2013 in his encyclical Evangeli Gaudium, opening thus the door for a dialogue between Catholic Christians and socialists of Marxist orientation.
Dialop, a transversal dialogue project between Socialists/Marxists and Christians, Sophia University Institute in Florence, Italy and transform! europe are seeking young researchers in the fields of social sciences, humanities, and theology.
Wars have this destructive potential to impact the structure of communication, change the perception of facts, instrumentalise language and ways of thinking, lead to conspiracy traps and promote biased interests. During the Catholic event World Youth Day 2023, Christians and Marxists will discuss theory and praxis of communication in war times.
The fraction of the European Left at the European Parliament is organising a DIALOP-Event to present the Position Paper between Christians and Marxists at the European level.
To many leftists, the idea of an alliance between Christians and socialists appears eccentric. However, not-withstanding the differences, important similarities can be found. In his latest encyclical, Pope Francis writes of the need for politics based on human dignity, not subjected to the market. Does not this represent the basis for a dialogue?
In this Webinar Series, Dialop and transform! europe explore the common ground and the differences between Christian and Marxist approaches to peace ethics. The third webinar has the title: Can arts, science and religion redeem us and be ferments of peace? Applications today. Join us!
In this Webinar Series, Dialop and transform! europe explore the common ground and the differences between Christian and Marxist approaches to peace ethics. The second webinar has the title: NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE - Visions of positive peace. Join us!
In this Webinar Series, together with our partner organisation Dialop, we want to explore the common ground and differences between Christian and Marxist approaches to Peace Ethics. Join us for the first webinar!
To many leftists, the idea of an alliance between Christians and socialists appears eccentric. However, not-withstanding the differences, important similarities can be found. In his latest encyclical, Pope Francis writes of the need for politics based on human dignity, not subjected to the market. Does not this represent the basis for a dialogue?