'You are also the voice of human anxieties,' Pope Francis told conference bringing together poets, writers and filmmakers
Pope Francis is pictured during the 'Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination' conference held at the headquarters of 'La Civiltà Cattolica' from May 25-27, 2023. (Photo: La Civilta Cattolica)
By Pope Francis
"The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination" was a conference held at the headquarters of "La Civiltà Cattolica" from May 25-27, 2023. Organized by our magazine together with Georgetown University in Washington, DC. The meeting brought together over 40 poets, storytellers, screenwriters and filmmakers from various countries around the world who identify as Catholic, or who feel that Catholicism has been a formative dimension of their artistic development.
Participants engaged in a conversation about the spiritual and religious dimensions of life that continue to shape their poetic and literary imagery. Many questions were asked: how do artists from various cultures experience Catholicism as a resource for their creative work? What are the ways in which faith interrogates life, explores the human condition and responds to the hunger for meaning? In what ways do artists use discourses — sometimes even transgressive or heterodox — that challenge the intellectual, social or political legacy in which this faith is lived out in the contemporary world?
The keynote speeches were given by Card. José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and Fr. Antonio Spadaro, director of "La Civiltà Cattolica." On the last day, a conversation was held between American director Martin Scorsese and Fr. Spadaro. On Saturday, May 27, at 10:30 a.m., the participants, together with their families, were received in audience by Pope Francis, who addressed those present with the speech that we reproduce below.
_____________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, welcome
I greet and thank Fr. Antonio Spadaro, editor of La Civiltà Cattolica, and Prof. John DeGioia, president of Georgetown University. I am pleased to meet with you as the Conference is taking place that brings together poets, writers, screenwriters and filmmakers from various parts of the world around the theme of poetic imagination and Catholic inspiration. I know that these days you have been reflecting on what are the ways through which faith interrogates contemporary life, thus trying to respond to the hunger for meaning. This “meaning” is not reducible to a concept, no. It is a total meaning that takes poetry, symbol, feeling. The real meaning is not the dictionary meaning: that is the meaning of the word, and the word is an instrument of all that is within us.
Read the complete article here.
This article is brought to you by UCA News in association with "La Civilta Cattolica."
Help us keep UCA News independent
The Church in Asia needs objective and independent journalism to speak the truth about the Church and the state.
With a network of professionally qualified journalists and editors across Asia, UCA News is just about meeting that need. But professionalism does not come cheap. We depend on you, our readers, to help maintain our independence and seek that truth.
A small donation of US$2 a month would make a big difference in our quest to achieve our goal.
Share your comments
SPECIAL EBOOKS
