Veneto, Region, Ministry and MAC Foundation sign agreement to enhance history of Catholicism

Synergy between the Ministry of Culture, the Veneto Region and the Audiovisual Memories of Catholicism Foundation to promote the history of Catholicism in the Veneto: the Ministry, the Region and the Foundation signed an agreement this morning at Palazzo Balbi, seat of the regional president, for the enhancement of this history with special attention to the audiovisual and multimedia heritage.

The project, promoted by the MAC Foundation, aims to rediscover and digitize historiographic sources and unpublished documents, focusing particularly on two 20th-century Venetian popes: Pius X, born Giuseppe Sarto, and John Paul I, born Albino Luciani. Both popes left a significant mark on the history of the Church and their relations with the media of the time.

Among the main lines of action of the agreement is the mapping of audiovisual sources, both fiction and nonfiction, related to the two pontiffs, as well as a survey of writings and speeches documenting their relationship with the media before and after their election to the papacy. This heritage, once digitized, will be made available in the MAC Digital Library, making important historical records accessible to scholars and the general public.

In addition to digitization, the initiative includes the creation of dissemination materials to broaden awareness of the research findings. The use of the latest technologies will make this content easily accessible to both specialized and general audiences. Dissemination of the collected material in public and private organizations, schools and other institutions will also be promoted, with special attention paid to the younger generation.

“The history of Catholicism in Veneto strongly contributes to our identity and culture,” says Veneto Region President Luca Zaia. “It is a fundamental pivot of our society. We want it to be even better known, not only in the aspects of faith, but also from the point of view of history and events. We are aware that Pope Sarto and Pope Luciani are among the highest expressions of the history of Christianity and humanity, but they were also a symbol of the identity of our region. The Region could not avoid taking part in this project, a great work of preservation and restoration of the sources entrusted to films and engravings concerning these two Pontiffs. We joined with great pride, knowing that protecting and making usable the direct memory is essential to know our history and the value of two such important figures. Figures who have both reached the recognition of the glory of the altars. Two sons of our land, of very humble origins, born respectively in the countryside of Treviso and in the Agordo mountains but with a long pastoral journey that brought them to the See of St. Peter leaving an indelible imprint in the life of the world.”

“If relatively few audiovisual sources exist on Sarto and Luciani on the period of their pontificate,” explains MAC Foundation president Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò,"on the other hand , the wealth of documentation produced after their passing is very rich: for different reasons, the pope of modernism and the pope of the smile have ignited the interest of cinema and TV much more than other popes of the 20th century. There will also be a look at Roncalli: the audiovisual history of his years as patriarch of Venice are important for understanding the future John XXIII."

Pictured: Palazzo Balbi. Photo: Didier Descouens

Veneto, Region, Ministry and MAC Foundation sign agreement to enhance history of Catholicism

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