The UCP Bookshop hosted the launch of the book "Igino Giordani, an unarmed hero"
On 19 May, the Universidade Católica Portuguesa Bookshop hosted the launch of the book "Igino Giordani, an Unarmed Hero", written by Alberto Lo Presti. The event was attended by the author and Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins, who wrote the foreword to the edition.
With a significant turnout from the academic community and other interested parties, the event provided an opportunity to reflect on the relevance today of the thought and witness of Igino Giordani, a leading figure in 20th-century Catholicism, recognised for his commitment to peace, dialogue and fraternity.
The book traces the life of Giordani – politician, journalist, writer and co-founder of the Focolare Movement – highlighting his steadfast advocacy for peace in a context marked by wars, ideological divisions and profound social upheavals. Among the Italian thinker’s best-known contributions is the phrase “If you want peace, prepare for peace”, which would go on to significantly influence the Catholic Church’s reflection on peace-building and integral human development.
In the preface to the book, Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins emphasises precisely the relevance of this vision, recalling the lasting impact of the phrase coined by Giordani and its influence on the establishment of the World Day of Peace and the consolidation of the relationship between peace and human development.
The presentation also provided an opportunity to reflect on the relevance of Igino Giordani’s message today, in an international context marked by armed conflict and growing polarisation.
The following day, the work was also presented in the north of the country, specifically at the Prof. Manuel Isidro Alves Auditorium of the Universidade Católica on the Braga Campus, by Pedro Vaz Patto, who highlighted the coherence between Giordani’s thought and action, as well as the contemporary relevance of his life’s testimony. In his address, he emphasised the significance of an “unarmed hero” who, having lived through the experience of war, chose to make the promotion of peace a personal and political mission.
The second day of this launch was recorded and streamed online, allowing for wider participation and access to the discussion surrounding this work.