VICARIATE OF ROME
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS

PRESS RELEASE

At Saint John Lateran, five meetings on the Divine Comedy

“Thee it behoves to take another road” is the title of the initiative promoted by the diocese of Rome for the Lenten journey, which will feature Franco Nembrini, professor and essayist; the introduction of each evening will be entrusted to Don Fabio Rosini, while the conclusions will be drawn by one of the auxiliary bishops or the Cardinal Vicar

In the first canto of his Inferno, Dante is lost in the “dark forest” and encounters three ferocious beasts who prevent him from continuing on his way. But Virgil suggests: “Thee it behoves to take another road”. And this is the theme of the Lenten journey promoted by the diocese of Rome, which will feature FRANCO NEMBRINI, professor and essayist. There will be five meetings in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, from 19.00 to 20.30, beginning on Wednesday 12 March, and will be dedicated to “Dante, pilgrim of hope”, as the subtitle indicates.

As in previous years, every evening will be introduced by music by the organist ANDREA COEN, followed by an introduction from Don FABIO ROSINI, then a comment on the text from NEMBRINI, and finally the conclusions, to be entrusted from time to time to a bishop or the cardinal vicar. The inaugural evening, on the New Life, will feature Bishop MICHELE DI TOLVE; on Thursday 20 March, on Inferno, Cardinal Vicar BALDO REINA will be present; on Thursday 27, on Purgatory, Bishop RENATO TARANTELLI BACCARI will conclude; on Wednesday 2 April, on Paradise, Bishop BENONI AMBARUS will be present; and on Wednesday 9 April, the last appointment of the programme with the Hymn to the Virgin, Cardinal REINA will again be present.

“The Divine Comedy is a journey of conversion”, explains NEMBRINI, “that starts out from the ‘forest dark’, a situation of sin and disorientation, leading to the contemplation of goodness, with Purgatory in the middle, which is the cantica dedicated to conversion. No work lends itself as well as the Divine Comedy to exploring the path of Lent towards Easter”. The scholar has written several books on Dante, as well as a programme on Tv2000, but the Lenten path will be “a novelty, because in the last ten years I have been exploring the theme even more”, he declares. “Moreover, the key to the reading will be hope in Dante, on the occasion of the Jubilee”.

The Jubilee events include the exhibition “Uomini siate, non pecore matte” (“Be ye as men, not as silly sheep”), set up these days in San Salvatore in Lauro, again dedicated to the great poet, curated by NEMBRINI with illustrations by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO. The exhibition is based on similar experiences that took place in previous years in Verona and in various Italian cities in collaboration with the Rivela cultural association. “We wanted to build on the educational experience of the Verona project, and so we also worked in Rome to make young people the protagonists”, says NEMBRINI. “The response was overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating that our young people, when challenged by a lofty and engaging proposal, still know how to move with the enthusiasm and boldness that characterizes them”. Indeed, it will be young people, who have participated in a training course with the scholar, who will accompany the pilgrims on their visit to the exhibition.

Participation in the meetings at Saint John Lateran is free of charge and open to all; they will be livestreamed on the YouTube channel of the diocese of Rome and on Franco Nembrini’s Facebook page.

Accreditation procedure – Journalists and media operators who wish to participate must apply no less than 24 hours before each meeting, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at: press.vatican.va/accreditamenti.

7 March 2025