Rio de Janeiro - From 17 to 22 July 2011, the VII Brazilian Assembly of communication("Mutirão Brasileiro de Comunicação") will be held, organized by the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro (PUC) and by the Brazilian Episcopal Conference. Dario Edoardo Viganò has been invited to hold an inaugural lecture on 17 July 2011 at 18.00. The central subject matter of the "Mutirão" 2011 is "Comunicação e Vida: Diversidade e Mobilidades". The meeting that is held every two years, is to make one think about the main changes and developments in the communication field of the Church and of the society in general. The participation of academics and communication experts from Brazil together with academics and experts from the international scene are forecasted for the event. Together with Dario E. Viganò, also mons. Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for social communication will give a speech, during the open forum "Concepção, filosofia, estruturas e modalidades da Comunicação na Igreja e a imagem da Igreja na mídia", organized for 18 July 2011. Further information is available from : www.muticom.com

Rome, LUISS University - The International Convention of studies "Leadership. Leaders and new trends in political communication" will take place at the LUISS university "Guido Carli" in Rome on the 20th and 21st May 2011, organized by the Centre for Media and Communication Studies "Massimo Baldini", directed by Prof. Michele Sorice, in collaboration with the British Council and the Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo. Dario Edoardo Viganò will take part in the convention on Friday 20th May at 15.30, giving a speech entitled "Film and Political Leadership", about the different ways that politics and political leaders are represented by the cinema. Along with Dario E. Viganò, other speakers include; Brian McNair (Queensland University of Technology), Sara Bentivegna (Sapienza University in Rome), Nico Carpentier (University of Loughborough), Fausto Colombo (Università Cattolica in Milan), Raffaele De Mucci (LUISS "Guido Carli"), Sergio Fabbrini (LUISS "Guido Carli"), Ivor Gaber (City University London), Matthew Hibberd (University of Stirling), Michael Higgins (University of Strathclyde), Leonardo Morlino (LUISS "Guido Carli"), Edoardo Novelli (Università degli Studi Roma Tre), Jo Silvestre (City University London), Mick Temple (Staffordshire University) e Katrin Voltmer (University of Leeds). Further information is available on the following site: http://www.politicalcommunication.co.uk/2/conference_2011_37671.html (http://communication.blogs.luiss.edu/)

Palazzo Bo, Università degli Studi di Padova - On the occasion of the meeting at Palazzo Bo (at which, during 2010, there have also been discussions held by Massimiliano Fuksas, Patrice Leconte, Roberto Vecchioni, Maurizio Ferraris, Alessandro Gassman), Dario Edoardo Viganò has been invited to hold a series of talks titled 'La comunicazione, tra pertinenze disciplinari e sguardo olistico' ('Communication: between subject relevance and a holistic viewpoint'). The talks will also include the participation of Prof. Renato Stella, professor of General Sociology at the faculty of Political Science, Università degli Studi di Padova, and are to present the 'Dizionario della comunicazione', a work of which Dario E. Viganò was both a contributing author and editor and which was published by Carocci in December 2009. The 'Dizionario della comunicazione' is the result of a massive amount of editorial work which lasted over two years and saw the involvement of 106 separate authors including international and Italian academics, as well as professionals from the world of communication. The work presents ten individual approaches to communication studies: historical, media, economic, semiotic, sociological, psychological, educational, theological, ethical and political; all of which have been carried out scientifically without losing sight of clarity and ease of consultatio

Pontifical Council for Culture, Vatican - 'Cultura della comunicazione e nuovi linguaggi' ('The culture of communication and new languages') is the theme chosen for the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, directed by mons. Gianfranco Ravasi. The encounter is due to take place at the site of the Vatican department from 10th to 13th November 2010 after the official inauguration which is to take place in the 'Sala della Protomoteca' in Campidoglio, Wednesday 10th November. On the occasion of the plenary assembly, Dario Edoardo Viganò has been invited to participate in the round table talks titled 'In dialogo con un artista' (In dialogue with an artist) together with the Oscar winning composer Ennio Morricone and the English film director Roland Joffé, creator of the film 'The Mission' (1986). The meeting is due to take place on Thursday 11th November 2010 at 15:00. The location is the site of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Porto Alegre, Brazil - With the establishment, in both Europe and America, of a series of studies on the relationship between the cinema and the sacred, Dario Edoardo Viganò has been invited as visiting professor to the Pontifical Catholic University of Porto Alegre (Pontificia Universidade Catòlica do Rio Grande do Sul) to hold an intensive course in 'Religious Film' together with a public seminar titled "Christological cinema and parabolic re-figurations". Given the numerous publications which Viganò has produced on Biblical-Christological cinema, as well as on the relationship between the cinema and the Church (one can cite 'Gesù e la macchina da presa.  Dizionario ragionato del cinema cristologico', published by Lateran University Press; 'Attraverso lo schermo. Cinema e cultura cattolica in Italia', with Ruggero Eugeni, published by Ente dello Spettacolo; a recent paper on the relationship between Cinema and Church in Italy for the volume of Treccani 'Cristiani d'Italia. Chiese, società, stato, 1861-2011' edited by Alberto Melloni), he is now considered one of the principle Italian scholars within such a field of research.  "The first subjects in the history of cinema" - stated Viganò - "come from the filming of popular, sacred representations, from the first Passio of the Lumière brothers to the historical productions such as "Christus" by Antamoro, up until the Hollywood Biblical blockbusters, from the work of Pasolini to the voyeurism of Gibson, en route passing through moments of transition of social phenomena with 'Jesus Christ Superstar'.  The constitutive story-making vocation of the cinema has made the contact with Biblical stories both possible and productive.  The history of cinema, therefore, has consigned numerous translations of Biblical texts, each one of which offering its own singularity and characteristic but which, together, present a complex set of transformations from written text to audio-visual text, works of authentic translation or rather 'transmutation', making use of the theoretical insights of Roman Jakobson such works are made from selection and extension, from the undisclosed resonances of specific narrative moments.  What ultimately remains from the editorial history of sacred texts, before arriving at the actual text itself in which the community has fixed the singular presence of God, there is the long process of re-writing and of selection".

Sport Hotel Terea, Pedraces Badia (BZ) - "The dispersive and continual development of the new media and of 'cyberspace' which is constantly in a form of change or renewal, are by now an area and an occasion for announcing the message of the Gospel. We can call them territories of the digital world, a world which His Holiness the Pope has invited us to enter with awareness and competence.  It is not a case of transferring traditional forms of space, such as the parvis, the Church and the oratory, to digital space and Social Networks, but rather means understanding that the more society becomes mixed with and interconnected to the new media, the more the forms of participation and of interaction between individuals and people change". This was the opinion expressed by Dario Edoardo Viganò concerning the forms of space of the new, digital media on the occasion of his lecture for the course of CEI organized on behalf of theology students and titled 'Nel lavoro, nel tempo libero e nella festa. Nuove geografie dell'umano' ('At work, in free time and in festivals. New geographies of mankind') which was held in Bolzano from 14th July to 18th July 2010. Following on from the preceding conference 'Lavoro, tempo libero e festa. Un tempo compiuto? ('Work, free time and holidays. Times past?') (Ischia 2009), the CEI office for social problems and employment, for pastoral care of free time, tourism and sport and the Italian National Liturgical Office, in collaboration with the Istituto 'Redemptor hominis' of the Pontifical Lateran University and the 'Fondazione Migrantes' organized a new conference in order to further consider the relationship between work and holidays, not as two conflicting or contradictory aspects of reality but rather inserted into a reciprocal form of circularity.  The meaning of employment and free time emerges from the meaning and the dignity of life itself, a gift from God which takes on a concrete form in the love of God and the love of others.  The form of space of both employment and free time, characterized by an apparent identity weakness, manifests the theme of a "basis" or "threshold" as a place in which the density of meetings/activities takes form.

Foresteria Santa Scolastica, Subiaco (RM) - "There is a need to be aware of and to question the current situation as well as allowing oneself to be consulted by it, because the cultural changes which are in some way connected to the development of the mass media are not simple accessories but rather bring into play the social form of the Church". In "this sense" there is the inclusion of "the relationship with the world of media". These were the opening words of Dario Edoardo Viganò at the inauguration of the residential week for theology seminarists (28th June - 2nd July 2010) in Subiaco on the theme 'The action of the Church in the digital age'. The initiative was organized by the Office for Social Communications of the CEI together with the Service for cultural projects and information (CEI) and the Centro Interdisciplinare Lateranense. Viganò, coordinator of the course and supervisor of the first day of studies, highlighted to the participants the necessity of a "new plan", placing particular emphasis on the relationship "Church-communication" and pointing out that "for planning it is necessary to mean the distinctive character of human, personal and social action". In other words, "pastoral planning does not mean assuming a technique but acquiring a mentality. It is a question of style". Viganò went on to explain that "The problem is to reflect on the profile of the action of the believer within a situation which is not only uncommon in many respects, but also profoundly problematic" from both an anthropological and a media point of view.  From which arises the need "to be warned". This as such, he added, "facilitates the comprehension of solutions which are always to be understood in a provisory manner". In the current situation that is "the time of mission". "In fact, the traditional channels for the transmission of the faith have been weakened and it is now time to come to terms with a media system which is both invasive and pervasive".  As such, confirmed Viganò, it is necessary "to overcome the temptation for nostalgia, for pessimism and for adaptation".

Auditorium Benedetto XVI, Diocese of Ugento-Santa Maria di Leuca (LE) - "In front of the challenges of contemporary society, there is the need to transform criticism into a resource. As was maintained by Pope John Paul II, the Church, in point of fact "is becoming more aware that ours is not a time for simply preserving the current situation but rather one of mission". This entails a new method of planning, or rather, the acquisition of a style, of a mentality". This was the view expressed by Dario Edoardo Viganò at the conference 'Educazione della persona e trasmissione delle fede' ('Education of the person and the transmission of faith').  The talks were inspired by the various themes addressed by the ecclesiastical conference in Verona.  The diocese of Ugento-Santa Maria di Leuca, has, as a result, formulated a diocesan, pastoral plan of several years (2007-2011) inspired by the themes discussed in the national assembly of the Church in Italy and indicated as 'areas' (emotional life, human fragility, citizenship, work and free time, traditions) in which the daily lives of believers needs to learn to experience hope. For the year 2010 the theme addressed was traditions which has been connected to the pastoral orientation of the Church in Italy for the decade 2010-2020.  As well as Dario E. Viganò the conference also included the participation of mons.  Agostino Superbo (archbishop of Potenza and vice-president of the CEI) and Elisabetta Musi (lecturer at the Università Cattolica di Piacenza). As regards the necessity for a "new plan", in particular within the education-communication relationship, Viganò highlighted that "education within the complex cultural system of today means primarily assuming the responsibility of re-semanticizing the space in which we are called to act ecclesiastically.  In other words, there is the possibility of re-planning our concrete presence within the current context, actually beginning with making use of creativity and intelligence (neither of which are ever separated from the task of studying) in order to attribute a symbolic value to those spaces defined as pre-existent, spaces which are not a support for giving voice to communication no matter how important, but which enter into the text itself, becoming themselves cultural productions.  Therefore, education and communication: not yet another series of techniques (concerning which there is no need to discuss their necessary competence and adjournment), but rather a re-proposal of the conditions of the appeal of men and women who, in contemporary society, know how to remain within, with capacity and dignity, also continuously demonstrating the transcendence of the Gospel".

Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro - On the occasion of the XIX annual meeting of COMPOS, Brazilian Association of Post-Graduate Courses in Communication Studies held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro on 8th August 2010, Dario Edoardo Viganò was invited to give the inaugural lecture.  COMPOS puts together all of the post-graduate courses specializing in Communications, from the level of Master's degree to doctorate, belonging to the private and state universities of Brazil.  The meeting represents one of the most significant scientific events in the field of academic Communication Studies in the country.  The theme of Viganò's inaugural lecture was 'Socio-semiotic reflections on  Social Advertising'. "Social advertising" - explained Viganò - "constitutes an ideal area for socio-semiotic studies, from the moment that it can be seen as a discursive practice that finds its origins in the need to render visible, in terms of the different typologies of text, dramatic questions which are often relegated to the margins of media events with the objective of modifying the relations which are linked to diverse subjects: institutions, NGOs, associationism, citizenship and the entrepreneurial world." In analyzing social advertising, Viganò concentrated primarily on the developments of so-called 'unconventional' advertising. "Such unconventionality is no longer circumscribed to the internal functioning of an advert or a street poster but rather, it extends towards the whole publicity campaign under consideration with a cross-media perspective therein providing, above all, an original use for metropolitan spaces, for the virus-like diffusion of word-of-mouth and a profound reconsideration of the form of an advert".

Sala Nervi, Vatican City - "This exhibition 'Priests in Cinema. Priests and the Cinematic Image' follows a chronological order from 'Il ritorno di Don Camillo' to the latest film by Verdone.  The exhibition almost exclusively involves fictional cinema films, with the notable exception of 'La certosa di Parma' by Bolognini which was presented as a television series due to its excessive length and two highly important documentaries: 'Pastor Angelicus' by Romolo Marcellini and Luis Trenker, which was directly created with contributions from the Roman Catholic Church, and 'Giovanni XXIII.  Pacem in terris' by Guido Guerrasia, dedicated to Pope John XXIII, considered one of the Popes most attentive to the language of cinema." These were the opening words of Dario Edoardo Viganò at the inauguration of the exhibition created by FEdS in collaboration with the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and the Ufficio nazionale per le comunicazioni sociali of CEI on the occasion of the Jubilee Year proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.  Present at the inauguration were S.E. card. Angelo Bagnasco, President of the CEI and the film director Carlo Verdone.  "The cinema has offered a multiplicity of representations of the clerical ministry" - declared card. Bagnasco - "often narrating the sacrifices and testimonies of those at 'the bottom' of society, both in times of peace and during the difficult years of war". Card. Bagnasco went on to state that "The director Carlo Verdone, throughout his thirty years of career, has represented the figure of the priest on numerous occasions, sometimes underlining the defects and weaknesses of such a character and with portrayals which are often caricatured, however, they are always full of singular points for reflection something which, at times,  only the language of comedy can offer". The Roman film director Carlo Verdone specified that "Dropping the figure of priest into the mechanisms of comedy is always a delicate task given that it is a genre essentially made up of gags. In my latest film 'Io, loro e Lara' I wanted to give the priest character a human face, putting him before a crisis of faith, and I wanted to do this with maximum honesty. If I managed such a task, I don't know, however, the attention which the Church has given to my film and the subsequent discussions which resulted provide me with some comfort."

Aula Pio XI, Pontifical Lateran University, Rome - In order to enter into the world of the internet "that which is necessary, aside from competence, are the passionate hearts of believers". Making reference to the words of the Pope, Dario Edoardo Viganò introduced the study conference 'Il sacerdote e la pastorale nel mondo digitale: i nuovi media al servizio della Parola' which took its inspiration from the title of the Papal Message of Benedict XVI for the 44th World Day of Social Communications.  The initiative was supported by the  Pastoral Institute 'Redemptor Hominis' of the Lateran University, the Office for social communications of the CEI, the 'associazione Comunicazione e cultura Paoline onlus', the diocesan Office for Social Communications, 'il Servizio diocesano per la pastorale giovanile', "Avvenire", 'Azione cattolica di Roma' and the UCSI Lazio.  The round table talks chaired by Dario Edoardo Viganò included the participation of: mons. Domenico Pompili (Director of the National Office of social communications, CEI), Aldo Maria Valli (Vatican expert on Tg1 and Rai), Angelo Romeo (LUMSA), Paolo Padrini (Creator of iBreviary for iPod/iPad and expert in digital media). "The digital world" - highlighted Viganò in his talk - "can be seen as an occasion for the creation of a 'line of gentiles' as mentioned by the Pope, which "also for the curious, or non-believers, can be an occasion for personal meetings which could then also conduct individuals to the gift of faith."

Venaria Reale Palace, Turin - "The constitutional vocation of the cinema as a story-making device has made it both possible and worthwhile, from the time of its origins, to encounter Biblical stories and the figure of Jesus.  Already as far back as 1897 the Lumière brothers made 'Vues représentant le vie et la passion de Jésus Christ', however, the first genuine full-length feature films were 'La vita e la Passione di Gesù Cristo' (1902-1907) by Ferdinand Zecca and the very famous 'Christus' (1916) by Giulio Antamoro: two great precursors to the later successes of Hollywood." This was the view expressed by Dario Edoardo Viganò in his presentation for the round table talks titled 'L'immagine di Gesù nella storia del cinema' organized by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema and by the Venaria Reale, on the occasion of the exhibition 'Ecce Homo. L'immagine di Gesù nella storia del cinema' organized by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema di Torino (Mole Antonelliana, 26th March - 6th June 2010). The round table talks, which were chaired by Alberto Barbera (Film critic and director of the Museo Nazionale del Cinema), also included the participation of Giuseppe Ghiberti (Università Cattolica di Milano), Tomaso Subini (Università degli Studi di Milano), Timothy Verdon (lecturer at Stanford University).  Viganò went on to specify that "Hollywood appropriated, in a continuative manner, the figure of Christ. We only need consider the hagiographic and violent 'The King of Kings' (1927) by Cecil B. De Mille, 'The Robe' (1953) by Henry Koster which signalled the first use of cinemascope, or 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' (1965) of George Stevens, a powerful and popular portrait which, nevertheless, inclines towards a rather crunched-up religiousity.  To such anesthetized productions from Hollywood one can counterpoise the vision of Pier Paolo Pasolini in Italy. Already with 'La ricotta', an episode from the collective film 'Ro.Go.Pa.G' (1963) directed by Roberto Rossellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Ugo Gregoretti, the Friulian film-maker signalled his distance from the Hollywoodian 'biopic' and the following year released 'Il Vangelo secondo Matteo' ('The Gospel According to St.Matthew') (1964) in which Pasolini recreates both the beauty and the scandal of the Gospel message within the context of southern Italy using actors who were not professionals".

Istituto 'Redemptor hominis', Pontifical Lateran University, Rome - A reflection on "consumer society" in order to analyze the situation of mankind today. 'I consume, therefore, I am? An educational, theological and social prospective' is the title of a day of studies organized by the 'Istituto 'Redemptor hominis' of the Pontifical Lateran University (PUL) in Rome, in collaboration with the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) and CeSNAF (Centro studi Nazareth Alta Formazione) on 5th May 2010 at the Lateran University.  "Through these reflections on consumerism" - explained Dario Edoardo Viganò in his opening talk to inaugurate the conference - "there is the need to examine not only the educational emergency but, broadening the scope, also the existential and socio-cultural situation in which mankind today finds itself in light of the results of anthropology and of the Christian experience."  The talks and discussions aimed at an analysis of the challenges and problems connected to consumerism, giving a particular emphasis to those environments which are classed as theological-pastoral, psycho-educational and socio-cultural.  Among the participants were Sergio Belardinelli (University of Bologna, PUL), Sergio Lanza (PUL), Francis-Vincent Anthony (UPS), Gabriele Quinzi (UPS), Chiara Palazzini (PUL and CeSNAF), Massimiliano Padula (PUL), Angelo Romeo (LUMSA).

San Domenico Auditorium, Oristano - During a training course in politics supported by the Meic group of Oristano, the diocesan Osservatorio Socio-Pastorale, and the MpU, Dario Edoardo Viganò held a conference on the theme 'The ethics of communication: some prospectives'. "In respect to the current situation which is unresponsive to guidelines of a moral nature" - explains Viganò - "there emerges a form of reaction, a need for ethics which, nevertheless, is expressed with an apocalyptic emphasis. The result is a form of scant moralism and the habit of thinking of ethics as a form of professional deontology". In facing the urgency of an ethics of communication, utilizing, primarily, the principle results of theoretical philosophy, Viganò then focused his attention on the role of the journalist and on the question of the objectivity of information, as well as on the problematic scenerios which are cut off from the development of digital technology.

Hotel Summit, Rome - "Being digital implies rethinking the category of relationships, in particular 'face to face' relationships, relationships involving physical meetings, the Christian community, but also a relationship which gives itself to forms of understanding via the internet, via web 2.0, which is not simply an exhibition, but is a form of interaction, a participation.  Being digital indicates following a path of re-appropriation and re-semantization of certain categories which are particularly significant for the ecclesiastic experience, such as that of territory".   This was the view expressed by Dario Edoardo Viganò at the national conference 'Testimoni Digitali. Volti e linguaggi nell'era cross mediale' organized in Rome by the CEI from April 22nd to 24th 2010; a convention in which Viganò was both coordinator and chairman during one of the round table talks of the inauguration day, 'Media, linguaggi e crossmedialità' (The media, languages and cross media) which also included the participation of Ruggero Eugeni (Massmediologist, Università Cattolica di Milano), Paolo Peverini (Semiologist, LUISS Guido Carli) and Mario Calabresi (Director of 'La Stampa'). "'Testimoni Digitali', therefore, is not so much an occasion for producing a sociology to which we can falsely attach certain moral reflections but rather an occasion for proposing, primarily, a pastoral reflection which attempts to understand how today we can possibly individuate the concrete and certifiable forms of the Church, which proposes ecclesiastic action within a context which is so strongly pervaded by digital media.

Diocesan administration, La Storta (Rome) - "We are the inheritors of the apostles, of those victorious witnesses! However, it is from this statement that the question arises: what is our faith? To what extent do we know today how to communicate this faith?". Starting out with the words of Pope Benedict XVI at the ecclesiastical conference in Verona, Dario Edoardo Viganò developed his presentation 'La pastorale delle comunicazioni' on the 16th April 2010 on the occasion of the talks organized by Caritas of Porto-Santa Rufina regarding the theme 'Comunicare carità' (Communicating charity). Tracing the relationship between the Church and the media from the 1960s to the 2000s, Viganò pointed out that today there is a need to "reflect on the profile of belief within an environment which is not only, in numerous ways, uncommon but also profoundly problematic from an anthropological point of view".  Indeed, within contemporary society "the traditional channels for the transmission of faith (family, school) have been vastly reduced and it is necessary to come to terms with a media system which is both invasive and pervasive. One aspect of particular relevance, from a cultural point of view, is the lack of true thought.  It is acknowledged, in fact, that the great universal theories such as the enlightenment, idealism and historical materialism are these days totally overthrown to be replaced by that which is usually defined as 'the pluralism of language games' (S. Belardinelli), in other words, no one any longer recognizes institutions as having the capacity the state how things should be". In can be said that we are assisting in a "rarefaction of the institutional, ecclesiastical presence within the daily lives of individuals together with an accentuation of the organizational ecclesiastical apparatus". There is still a need to come to terms with new forms of laical aggregation and the decline in clerical vocations.  In front of such a situation, however, the invitation expressed is to cast aside the temptation for nostalgia, pessimism and adaptation.  "What is required is a new plan of action, where plan means having a distinct character within human personal and social action.  In other words a pastoral project does not entail the assumption of a technique but rather the acquisition of a mentality. It is a question of style!"

Radio Vaticana, Rome - "It is neither an essay nor a biography but rather an instrument for bringing to light the figure of don Mazzolari, one of the most significant characters in Catholicism and in the political life of the 1900s." These were the opening remarks of Dario Edoardo Viganò during the pres conference for the presentation of the audio book 'Il cielo capovolto' ('The upturned sky') on the texts of don Primo Mazzolari. The audio book presentation was on 25th March 2010 in the Sala Marconi of Radio Vaticana.  The audio book, produced by Centro Europeo Risorse Umane-Multimedia San Paolo in collaboration with Caritas Italiana, is a collection of the most significant texts by the Lombardian priest.  Along with Dario E. Viganò the press conference, which was moderated by Gianfranco Marcelli (head of the Roman journal 'Avvenire') also included contributions by mons. Giuseppe Merisi (President of Caritas Italiana), Mino Martinazzoli (politician), Mite Balduzzi and Roberto Tietto (Centro Europeo Risorse Umane). "An audio book" - stated Viganò - "is not the enemy of the traditional, printed page. Certainly it involves a form of fruition which is different. In an audio book the author takes on a form. Indeed, listening to a book is the same as listening to the world which the author narrates thereby understanding his manner of belonging to the words to which he gives life. It is the same as when parents read stories to their children: conferring to the words which they read their story. And it was precisely this element which give to such words a place of intimacy." Viganò went from this to state that "this audio book can be seen as a guide to reflection for the reader/listener in the awareness of the clerical profile of don Mazzolari, his humanity and faith to both the Christian message and to the Church".

Spazio Oberdan, Milan - On the occasion of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Festival of Cinema in Africa, Asia and Latin America it was proposed that the talks should focus on those films and videos which have, in recent years, involved the most passionate and contradictory aspects of football in Africa.  Among the events of the Festival, the round table talks coordinated by Dario Edoardo Viganò included the participation of Anthony Suze (former political prisoner of Robben Island, leader of the Makana Football Association and lead actor of 'More Than Just a Game'), Filippo Maria Ricci (journalist from 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' and author of 'Scusate il ritardo.  Storie di calcio africano', Limina), Michael Smith (producer of the film 'Streetball'), Emanuela Citterio (journalist from 'Afronline') and Claudio Agostoni (journalist from Radio Popolare).

Orizzonte Acireale Hotel, Acireale (CT) - "Essere Chiesa al tempo del digital media" (Being the Church in the age of digital media). The above was proposed as a reflection by Dario Edoardo Viganò in his talk 'La Parrocchia e la sfida della comunicazione' (The Parish and the challenge of communication) on the occasion of the training course 'Pastoral care in the parish community' which was organized by the regional centre for the formation of clergy 'Madre del Buon Pastore' in collaboration with he theology faculty of 'San Giovanni Evangelista' Sicily.  In light of the changes which the Church has undergone in the last decades Viganò highlighted the challenges and the opportunities which are required today within the parish, primarily the development of digital media, the internet, the development from web 1.0 to 2.0 and the ever growing diffusion of Social Networks.  Viganò, furthermore, reasserted the centrality of the figure of the spiritual animator, recording the words of Pope John Paul II: "I have worked with the support of faith. Mankind knows how to become an interpreter of today's cultural instances, putting itself to live in this epoch of communication not as a time of alienation and loss but rather as a precious time for the search for truth and for the development of a communion between persons and peoples".    The figure of the spiritual animator, Viganò emphasized "adopts himself to the territory not as a charismatic leader or tout but rather as one who acts as a witness, an expert in human relations and projects, capable of favouring openness and dialogue".

Pontifical Lateran University, Rome - The internet, iPods, mobile phones, Facebook profiles, chat, mail and SMS: these days the various media are no longer an instrument or a channel, instead they have become an "environment" in which everyone is immersed.  The anthropological question connected to the development of new media and 'digital media' is at the centre of the talk of Dario Edoardo Viganò who was asked to introduce the work of the Study Seminar 'L'assistente di Azione Cattolica: uomo di relazione interpersonali nel tempo della web generation' (The Azione Cattolica assistant: man of interpersonal relations in the age of the web generation) organized by the Istituto Redemptor hominis of the Pontifical Lateran University in collaboration with the National Presidency of Azione Cattolica.  The convention focused attention on how digital technology can contribute to a profound crisis in interpersonal relations; for instance, it allows connections without stabilizing long-lasting relations, furthermore, it represents certain experiences without necessarily requiring the individual to live them and surpasses the logic of empathy and solidarity.  "In such a contemporary scene" - stated Viganò taking his influence from the thought of Joshua Meyrowitz - "man is no longer a pilgrim but a passer-by newly invoking a territory to inhabit like a home. Mankind in late modernity asks to regain possession of himself, of his relations, within a space which returns to being a place of stability".

San Paolo fuori le Mura Abbey, Rome - "The loyalty of a film to Biblical narratives can often be more elusive than one would normally believe".  This was the opinion expressed by Dario Edoardo Viganò in his talk 'Testo biblico e ri-figurazione audiovisiva' (Biblical text and audiovisual re-figuration) at the conference 'Parole e narrazione' (Word and Narration) held in the San Paolo fuori le Mura abbey, Rome on 12th February 2010 and organized in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for Heritage and Cultural Activity with the support of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church and the Rome local council.  The round table talks, coordinated by Rev. Father Edmund Power OSB (abbot of San Paolo fuori le Mura) included the participation of, apart from Dario E. Viganò, Myriam Castelli (author and television presenter on Rai International), Marco Cardinali (journalist, theologian and director of the Lateran University Press) and Massimo Mallardo (Director of Management Coordination for the 'Direzione Nuovi Media' of Rai). The intention behind Viganò's contribution was that of tracing the history of the cinema in terms of the audiovisual re-writing of sacred texts, concentrating in particular on the Passion and life story of Jesus.  From the first attempts at re-writing sacred texts which go back to the origins of cinema, such as 'Le Christ marchant sur les eaux' (1898) by George Mélièa or the Italian feature film 'Christus' by Giulio Antamoro (1916) up until the parabolic re-figurations of more recent years such as 'Before the Rain' (1994) by the Macedonian director Milčo Mančevski.  "Within the history of cinema" - explained Viganò - "we find countless re-writings which have resulted in a certain degree of perplexity among film critics concerning the level of their loyalty towards the sacred texts. The question to which I wanted to answer was whether or not there are criteria for understanding if an audiovisual re-writing is correct or not. And, furthermore, what is meant by loyalty? Loyalty to what? I would maintain that there are films which at a superficial level of setting and narrative display strong adherence to the original Biblical texts but are, nevertheless, somewhat lacking in force, in spiritual and existential identity.  Others films, in contrast, despite not revealing an immediate connection to the sacred text from a visual or narrative point of view, nonetheless present certain moments of the Biblical narrative with much greater intensity."

School of Social Culture and Media Studies, Torun (Poland) - La comunicazione e i riflessi della menzogna (Communication and the responses to falsehood).  This was the subject of the talk given by Dario Edoardo Viganò on the occasion of the International Symposium organized in Torun (Poland) on the 30th January 2010 at the Wyzsza Szkola Kultury Spolecznej i Medialnej (School of Social Culture and Media Studies).  The conference 'I volti della menzogna' (The faces of falsehood) included the participation of, among others, Christine O'Donell (United States political analyst) with a talk on 'The Mass Media and Communication in the United States of America', Rafal Broda (lecturer at the IFJ PAN in Krakow) and Robert Szwed (lecturer at KUL in Lublin) both of whom presented, respectively, 'Surveys and Public Opinion' and 'The survey as an instrument in political debate'.  Beginning with the concept of 'manipulation' Viganò confronted the question of consensus and the role of propaganda.  Falsehood and disinformation as strategies for manipulating reality; in particular the 'processes of selection and construction of information which results in certain subjects being privileged over others and presented in a determinate light'. Viganò, furthermore, gave a presentation on the role of surveys as an instrument for the construction of public opinion, as well as for the construction of deontological codes "as a simple anaesthetic for consciousness". In the final part of his analysis Viganò proposed an analysis of communication in the Church "within a context whereby the great universal theories (enlightenment, idealism, historical materialism) are totally groundless, they have disappeared to be substituted by 'a pluralism of language games', in other words no single institution is recognized as having the capacity or the possibility of stating how things should be.  Everyone has their own opinion, not only in the debate between Catholics and non-Catholics but also within Catholicism itself, the result is that no one today recognizes the Church as having the authority to state how a vision of the world should be.  As such we assist in a new form of relativism, in a confusion between truth and opinion.  What is lacking is a criterion for measuring the validity of single discourses, of single cultures.  It would appear that everything has a value and that everything is equal".

Scuola dei Master, Università di Pisa, Pisa - On the occasion of the inauguration of the academic year 2009/2010 of the Scuola dei Master of the Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia of the Università di Pisa, Dario Edoardo Viganò has been invited to give an inaugural lecture.  The theme of the lecture is 'I vari approcci della comunicazione e i suoi ambiti: il progetto di un dizionario di comunicazione' (Various approaches to communication and its environment: the project of a dictionary of communication). This is a theme which takes its influence from the important publishing project 'Dizionario della comunicazione' (published by Carocci in December 2009), a work developed by Viganò who coordinated the work of 106 individual contributors ranging from lecturers in the most important Italian and foreign universities together with professionals from the world of communication.  "The approaches chosen for the 'Dizionario' (history, media studies, economics, semiotics, sociology, psychology, education, theology, ethics and politics)" - explains Viganò in his lecture - "reflect, in a certain way, the tension faced by mankind in the world communication, with its opportunity and its criticality. Such approaches certainly present a disciplinary autonomy along with continuous side issues, occasions of complementarity.  The cross-over of approaches is the awareness that within communicative processes today the question has become anthropological: it is enough to think of the themes of manipulation and credibility, political marketing and active citizenship, multiple identity and the redefinition of the concept of public/private".

Basilica Regina degli Apostoli, Rome - On the occasion of the sacerdotal year (June 2009 - June 2010) declared by Pope Benedict XVI in memory of the figure of the Holy Curate d'Ars Giovanni Maria Vianney, Dario Edoardo Viganò has been invited to hold a conference at the auditorium of the Centro Paoline in the Basilica Regina degli Apostoli of Rome on the figure of the priest in cinema. The conference will also be in anticipation of the release of his book 'Preti di celluloide'.  Nove sguardi d'autore, Cittadella Editrice 2010.  "Tonaca nera vs colletto bianco. A call to the same chromatic opposition of the original cinema" - explained Viganò in his discussion - "which, from its origins has not hesitated to offer stories of clergy, primarily through hagiographic narratives, such as in 'Il galeotto e il curato' (1904) by L. Gaumont, produced by Bonne Presse. It is certainly impossible to classify, if not in terms of roots, the various representations of the priest within what is, by now, one hundred years of cinema.  What is certain is that, among the most significant, we recall the figure of the Presbyterian in Robert Bresson's 'Le journal d'un curé de campagne' ('Diary of a Country Priest') (1951), based on the novel by George Bernanos. The story involves a young curate suffering from cancer of the stomach who eventually dies as a poor 'Christus patiens' much to the indifference of his community and the clergy. However, at the end of all this suffering, pain and indifference, the curate declares whilst at the point of death, "What does it matter? Everything is grace".