Buona Pasqua a tutti
"Having been condemned to death, I have reflected a long time on the value of life." Said which saviour, which disciple, which saint? Actually, it was Magdi Allam, deputy editor-in-chief of Italy's most influential daily paper, Corriere della Sera. Allam's quote, taken out of context, could be regarded as a reflection on the Paschal Mystery, but it has a less theological and a more prosaic origin: His criticism of Palestinian suicide bombing resulted in threats to his life in 2003 and the police in Viterbo, north of Rome, where Allam lives, have increased their protection of the writer.
Magdi Allam is very much in the news this Easter because in St. Peter's Basilica last night, Pope Benedict XVI poured holy water over his head, said a brief prayer in Latin and received him into the Catholic Church. "Pope Benedict XVI", said Allam last year, "represents the residual hope for Western civilization, which, more than other civilizations, embodies the sacredness of life and personal freedom". As we look around the world, from Gaza to Tibet to Darfur, who could deny this?
