Report by WACC Scholar Luisa Nitti

Luisa Nitti

- And why do you want to learn journalism here, in a “Catholic house”?…

Professor Venturini, from England, asked me this ironic and provocative question on the first day of her ‘Introduction to journalism’ course.

For a young woman, with a protestant background, and in the context of the Italian Protestant churches – less than 1% of the Italian population! – attending a prestigious Catholic institution like the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome is a great opportunity, both from an ecumenical and cultural point of view. This was precisely what happened to me from 1999 to 2000, thanks to WACC’s Training Assistance Programme (TAP). It was an experience of great value and also an important training opportunity for my present work. For the past two years I have been working as co-ordinator in the tiny editorial staff of the Press Agency NEV (Evangelical News) of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy.

During the Programme, I had the opportunity to attend four courses on communication, at the Interdisciplinary Centre on Social Communication of the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, directed by Professor Robert White. The Pontifical Gregorian University, a very important Catholic institution, is based on ecumenical and international principles and I was able to meet young people from different countries and different cultural backgrounds. It was a very exciting experience.

At the same time I undertook my training within the framework of the Press Agency NEV, based in Rome. The daily work in a small – but strategically important – press agency, gave me the opportunity to get more acquainted with the Italian and international Protestant context. The aim of NEV is to spread information on the Protestant churches and the ecumenical movement in Italy and abroad. The target of its activities are journalists, from both the religious and the secular press, politicians, opinion-makers and church leaders.
During my training I realised in a very concrete way how important it is to promote religious pluralism in a country, which is deeply influenced by the Roman Catholic Church (the majority Church in Italy) both on a religious and a cultural level. Dialogue and communication are the key words of our daily work. The communication between people from different religious backgrounds can help to promote mutual understanding and overcome prejudices and violence. Supporting pluralistic communication in Italy, promoting dialogue between different religious traditions (and between majority and minority faith communities in Italy) are important challenges to take up. We also support Italian Protestant churches in becoming more visible and effective in the communication arena, promoting a correct and complete image of protestant churches. Protestant Churches in Italy are, despite the small numbers, very engaged in social and ‘diaconal’ issues and deeply rooted in Italian society.

The experience within WACC’s Programme was very helpful also for my personal engagement in the Protestant Youth Movement in Italy. I was involved for many years – 1993-2001 - in the national board of the youth movement. By the year 2003 I will make a step forward in my engagement: I will be the new Director of “Gioventù Evangelica”, the official newspaper of the Federation of Protestant Youth and Young Adults in Italy (FGEI), founded after World War II.
Last but not least, during the training I was able to meet prominent leaders of the ecumenical movement. I also met people engaged in WCC and CEC’s ecumenical work in Geneva, and people involved in the communication teams of protestant and ecumenical organisations (LWF, WARC and others).

About one year after the end of my training, I participated in the Ecumenical Meeting in Strasbourg (Easter 2001), jointly organised by the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of Catholic Bishops in Europe (CCEE). During the meeting the moderators of the two organisations signed the Charta Oecumenica, a historical agreement between Christians from all traditions, for mutual co-operation in Europe.

In Strasbourg young Christians from all over Europe had a unique opportunity to personally meet with church leaders and to discuss very openly with them the common responsibility of all Christians for the future of Europe: supporting inter-religious dialogue and common prayer, overcoming violence and promoting reconciliation between people, were just some of the issues discussed. I was very glad to be in Strasbourg. This experience – like many others during the last three years - is still present in my life and my work.Luisa Nitti is a former TAP Scholar and currently Co-ordinator of Press Agency NEV (Evangelical News) of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy http://www.fcei.it