Rome (AsiaNews) - Tomorrow, Oasis will make its public debut in Italy's capital with a debate on religions and parties put to the test of democracy. Published every semester by the foundation by the same name, the international multilingual journal created and chaired by Card Angelo Scola has organised a debate on "Transition with whom? Religions and parties put to the test of democracy" that will focus on the Arab Spring and its impact.
Tomorrow at 5.30 pm, a cast of many will take part in the discussion at the Libreria Mondadori (bookshop) located on Via del Pellegrino 94 in Rome. They include Fr Bernardo Cervellera, editor of AsiaNews; Roberto Aliboni, scientific adviser to the Istituto Affari Internazionali (International Affairs Institute); Massimo Borghesi, professor of Moral Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Perugia. They will be joined by Maria Laura Conte, editorial and communication director at the Oasis International Foundation; and Martino Diez, scientific director of the Oasis International Foundation.
In its latest issue, the journal focuses on the social and political transition the Middle East and the West are undergoing, albeit in different ways. In the press release announcing the event, organisers note that, in the Middle East, "Islamist movements and parties are likely to lead the transition against the backdrop of a civil society in great turmoil. In the West, Christians have to seek instead new forms of political participation in an increasingly secularised society."
However, as nations on either side of the Mediterranean "challenge each other, they will have to answer the same questions: What does a party inspired by religion look like? Can people's religious experience inform political debates whilst respecting a plurality of players? Are there universally shared values on which to build a new social contract?"