We receive and publish the “open” letter from Don Mangiarotti to the San Marino newspaper La Serenissima:

“Today we celebrate the Son of God, the Blessed by nature, who comes to us through the Mother, blessed by grace. Mary thus brings us God’s blessing. Wherever she is, Jesus arrives. Therefore we need to welcome her, like Saint Elizabeth, who brought her into his house and immediately recognized the blessing, and said: ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ‘ (Lk 1:42). These are the words we repeat in the Ave Maria. By making room for Mary we are blessed, but we also learn to bless. Our Lady, in fact, teaches that the blessing is received in order to give it. She, the blessed one, was a blessing for all those she met: for Elizabeth, for the newlyweds in Cana, for the Apostles in the Upper Room … We too are called to bless, to say good in the name of God. The world is seriously polluted from saying badly and from thinking badly of others, of society, of themselves. But backbiting corrupts, makes everything degenerate, while blessing regenerates, gives strength to start over every day. Let us ask the Mother of God for the grace to be joyful bearers of God’s blessing for others, as she is for us ”. (Pope Francis, January 1, 2021)

I happened to read these words of Pope Francis, after receiving your newspaper that took stock of the politics and politicians of this year 2021. Sad balance, because unable only to glimpse some signs of good, some work … But it is Could it ever be possible that political fury does not know how to recognize anything other than evil in the adversary, what errors, what capacity?

As long as communication and politics treat as incapable or incompetent enemies those who have different positions, just because they are on the other side, I do not believe that a constructive path, a work of social peace will be possible. I too see that many things are not at all in our society, that there are contradictory and confusing laws, that there are many unsolved problems. But I also see that the solution does not lie in demonizing the opponent, attributing to him all the faults of bad governance.

We have seen what happened in neighboring Italy, where those who presented themselves as the anticastas, the moralizers … then turned out to be like the others, if not worse.

“Backbiting corrupts, makes everything degenerate, while blessing regenerates, gives strength to start over every day”: even if you may not feel on the side of those who uttered these words, take this into account. They are an invitation to build good for all the people. I believe it is time to be champions of good not in words, but in deeds and in truth, giving space and respect, albeit in a critical capacity, to all possible progress of good. And I say this aware that I do not share at all many of the political and cultural positions that are represented in our social reality.

A true and authentic turning point begins with respect and recognition of the present good, wherever it manifests itself. The ancient way of addressing “men of good will”, inaugurated, it seems to me, by Pope John XXIII, should also find space among us, giving principle and visibility to a political and moral recovery that we all need. And what is perhaps that this new year shines with positive experiences, of collaboration, comparison, and understanding.

With estimates.

Gabriele Mangiarotti

PS: I believe this “open” letter is a useful message to all those who have the common good at heart, in the hope of finding new air in our society. Of good, even if sometimes hidden, our social reality is rich in it !!!