Watch any edition of most Italian TV news and you’ll be flooded with petty squabbles between irrelevant individuals who insist they are important, rubbish reporting on absolutely boring topics; you will also notice a prominent overshadowing of events of major international importance by comments uttered by the most insignificant national party leaders. Italy is rarely stimulated to look outside its shell, so it is not surprising that Rome’s La Sapienza University, when deciding on the name of the guest speaker at the academic year inauguration, looked no further than their own backyard: the Vatican.
The decision to invite the Pope to speak at the opening of the academic year sparked protests by scholars and students alike (but the latter protest anything they aren’t too lazy to protest against). After seeing the stink he caused, the Pope wisely cancelled his visit.
Was this controversy about the secularity of science or the independence of Church and State? Was this another chapter of the catholics versus secularists saga in Italy, a major dispute that distracts everyone from the reality that the country is going to the dogs? In my opinion this sad drama is nothing but an indictment of the university authorities. They wanted to invite a person with power, prestige and respect. Why not a Nobel Prize winner? Why not an international leader? Why not a prominent United Nations official, or think-tank head, CEO, philosopher, economist?
Said shortly, I think any person with true international prestige would have underlined, in words or indirectly, the failure of the Italian system. Steve Jobs by his mere presence would have shown success stories like his are impossible in a system fraught with nepotism, favors and discrimination, while any Nobel prize winner would be obliged to describe education and research systems and mentalities that Italy can never outdo. And any think-tank head would be obliged to underline the necessary painful reforms Italy needs and nobody wants to carry out because of opposition by trade unions, minor political parties and special interest groups.
La Sapienza just looked for the lowest common denominator, someone who wouldn’t kick up too much of a fuss on the issues that really matter. Somebody who wouldn’t be THAT challenging or THAT inspiring. Inviting the Pope wasn’t just an offence to scholars and scientists. It was an offence to the Pope first and foremost, to what the Church stands for, its history and values.
Just another show of mediocre provincialism.
Besides, if my knowledge of Italian universities doesn’t fail me, I doubt the big professors would have been able to draft an invitation letter in basic English.
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