by Alessandro Venturo
About thirty participants took part in the workshop “Secular words of biblical economics”, which was held at the Polo Lionello Bonfanti from 4 to 6 July. A cultural gathering to find new, secular words to understand current affairs. Among them were students, professionals, journalists and simple enthusiasts of the art of storytelling, coming not only from Italy but also from other countries.
Finding new and secular words to understand current events and talk about economics, drawing on symbols and the depths of humanity, with the Bible and its stories as a compass: this was the challenge of the three-day workshop held at the Polo Lionello Bonfanti on the first weekend of July, entitled “Secular Words of Biblical Economics”. The workshop was promoted by the School of Biblical Economics in collaboration with Economy of Francesco. The training experience attracted around thirty young people from various Italian regions and countries around the world, including Peru, Brazil, Albania, Mexico, Colombia, Palestine and El Salvador.
The first day opened with a reflection by Don Bruno Bignami, director of the National Office for Social Problems and Work of the Italian Episcopal Conference. His talk, drawing on the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, focused on the generative power of biblical words in the social doctrine of the Church. Bignami highlighted how “poverty” and “fragility”, even before being sociological, political and philosophical categories, are essential theological categories for the Church, because its fundamental concern is to restore people to their dignity, healing them from the wounds of life.
Among the speakers was Professor Luigino Bruni, founder of the School of Biblical Economics, who dedicated his first speech to the link between literature and the Bible, which he defined as the “symbolic-narrative codex of the West” because of its inspirational power, which has remained intact over the centuries. Bruni then drew a parallel between chapter 22 of Genesis, which recounts the sacrifice of Isaac, and the work “Fear and Trembling” by the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, which addresses the same story offering four different interpretations. Then it was the turn of the participants, who were given the space to write their own version of the biblical story.
The day ended with a theatrical reading entitled “The Grammar of Gift. Les Misérables”, curated by the artists “Noi Duo” and inspired by Luigino Bruni’s reinterpretation of Victor Hugo’s great classics and passages from the Gospel.
The guest on the second day was the poet Gabriel Del Sarto, who, in his lecture, explored the theme of gift-giving through the story of the calling of Jonah, a prophet of the Old Testament. Del Sarto, recounting Jonah’s adventures from his adventures in the whale, to the salvation of Nineveh, proposed the myth of the hero’s journey as a narrative technique, inviting each participant to explore this archetype and to get involved by writing a story in which they themselves were the “heroes”, reflecting on the meaning of the gift and the call.
In the afternoon, Professor Bruni proposed a further parallel between the Bible and literature, addressing Jorge Luis Borges’ story “The Gospel According to Mark”.
The three days ended with a collective sharing of the texts: intimate, visionary, at times unsettling stories that gave voice and depth to characters and symbols from the biblical tradition. Thus, a small community of storytellers was born, choosing to inhabit another language of economics together. This is a first step that does not want to remain isolated: the common desire is to continue walking, writing, imagining. Together.