Justice, truth and peace
in a divided world

A dialogue with Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi
and Professor Gustavo Zagrebelsky

Wednesday 20 May 2026, 17.00

Great Hall of the Pontifical Gregorian University
Piazza della Pilotta 4, Rome

The Historical Archive of the Pontifical Gregorian University invites reflection and dialogue on the fragility of our times and the complex transformation of three key concepts of civil life: justice, truth and peace. “Justice, Truth and Peace in a Divided World” is the title of the event, which will take place on Wednesday 20 May in the Aula Magna of the Gregorian University at 5 pm, featuring distinguished guests such as Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference; the jurist Gustavo Zagrebelsky, Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Law – University of Turin, and Professor Martín María Morales S.J., Director of the Historical Archives of the Pontifical Gregorian University.

By comparing peace as a “Christian order” in the Middle Ages, peace linked to the law of the modern state, and the uncertainty of contemporary society, the event aims to explore a new dimension of responsibility. In a world that no longer has a hegemonic centre capable of resolving conflicts, peace cannot be a return to a lost unity or an imposed silence, but must become the difficult art of coexistence amidst differences. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Manfred Posani Löwenstein (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa).

The meeting will be accompanied by a documentary exhibition organized for the occasion. Two valuable artefacts from the Saint Robert Bellarmine collection will be on display: the handwritten codex of his commentary on Psalam 84 (85), where “justice and peace shall embrace”, and a volume of his Controversies. These documents, conceived in a Europe already torn apart by confessional divisions, challenge us today to consider what the “return of the past” truly means and how historical memory can be reused, sometimes to sanctify violence, sometimes to forge new paths of dialogue.

Accreditation procedure

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

For interviews and technical information on the event, please contact: press@unigre.it