BR Catalano Piero Rossano

Giulio Osto, La testimonianza del dialogo. Piero Rossano tra Bibbia, religioni e cultura

This voluminous work, Giving Witness to Dialogue: Piero Rossano's Journey through the Bible, Religions,and Culture, fills a major gap in the areas of interreligious dialogue and the theology of religions. The author Giulio Osto offers detailed documentation and an in-depth examination and appraisal of the figure of Piero Rossano (1923-1991), a multifaceted personality who played a major role in the first two decades of the Secretariat for non-Christians, established by Pope Paul VI at the end of the Vatican Council and now known as the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. After serving as sub-secretary of the Secretariat from 1966-1973 and secretary from 1973-1982, Rossano was appointed auxiliary bishop of Rome and rector of the Pontifical Lateran University, two positions he held till his untimely death in 1991.

In addition to being an important figure in Roman institutions, Piero Rossano was also a refined philosopher and theologian, a biblical scholar, and a courageous and effective pioneer of interreligious dialogue. He studied at the prestigious Biblical Institue under Fr. Agostino Bea SJ, the renowned biblical scholar who was made a cardinal and played a key role in the Second Vatican Council, especially in the field of ecumenism. Cardinal Bea was also a major contributor to the drafting of Nostra Ætate, the Council’s declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian relgiions.

As a philosopher, Rossano was instrumental in introducing to the Italian public the figure of Ferdinand Ebner, an Austrian elementary school teacher and philosopher who is considered to be one of the main representatives of the dialogical thinkingthat developed in Germany thanks to the Jewish philosophers Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig.

Finally, Rossano, especially when he was secretary of the Secretariat for non-Christians, travelled extensively all over the world, especially in Asia, Africa, and Middle East, where he established a precious and lasting network of contacts and relations that were crucial for the initial stage of the Catholic Church’s entry into dialogue with people of different religions and cultures.

Strangely enough, today, almost three decades after his death, Rossano is still little known outside Rome and Italy. Apart from some seminars and publications that were organized or edited by friends and collaborators in the region where he was born – Alba in the North-Western region of Piemonte – and in Rome, where he lived most of his life after his priestly ordination, his life and work have not been awarded much scholarly attention.

Osto offers an indispensable introduction to and analysis of the life and work of Rossano, whom he carefully studies from

the perspectives of biography, scholarship, and interreligious activity. In presenting Rossano’s life, the author describes Rossano’s familial, religious, and cultural background and also calls attention to other important influences that shaped his personality and thought. From the prospective of scholarship, the author offers an analysis of Rossano’s theological contribution to the fields of biblical studies, philosophy, and interreligious dialogue. Finally, Osto highlights the work that that Rossano was able to accomplish during and after the Second Vatican Council in the two fields that probably represent the most courageous novelty of the Council: the opening of the Catholic Church to the world and, more specifically, to people of other faiths and cultures. Rossano’s biblical formation, his physical closeness to the four sessions of the Council between 1962 and 1965, and his great esteem for Pope Paul VI all came into play as he set out on the then virtually unknown path of dialogue, relying heavily on the Bible, especially the teachings of Saint Paul, and on Ecclesiam Suam, Paul VI’s first encyclical letter, as well as on works inspired by it.

What emerges from this publication is a deepened sense of the theological and philosophical reflection that provided the foundation for the centrality of the category of dialogue in the two decades following the Council. One of the main features of Rossano’s efforts to promote interreligious dialogue was his ability to keep his approach to the theology of religion soundly rooted in lived experience. In so doing, he avoided the abstractions or a priori considerations that were not uncommon to some other theologians of the same period. ‘Msgr. Dialogue,’ as he was popularly known in Rome, was not only a faithful follower of the Council’s teaching; he was a refined thinker who was able to demonstrate that the newness and richness of the Council’s teaching was rooted in biblical and patristic sources. At, at the same time, his personal experience made him a credible witness of the dialogical approach.

The accuracy of Osto’s work can be appreciated not only in the vast documentation it proposes but also in the fact that the author never fails to note the limitations of Rossano’s experience and thinking, in particular his penchant for moving too quickly to action without giving sufficient attention to spelling out the biblical and theological foundations for such action. At the same time, Osto never forgets to emphasize that it was precisely because Rossano was a true pioneer that he ventured into new territory even before he was able to give sufficient time to deeper theological reflection.

Finally, I would call attention to two features of this work that make it especially relevant for all readers of Dilatato Corde and for those engaged in inter-monastic dialogue. First of all, Osto’s book is a most valuable resource for materials related to interreligious dialogue at the Second Vatican Council and during the two decades that followed. Secondly, the section on monastic dialogue offers a comprehensive and detailed account of the first steps taken to develop this particular approach to dialogue.

In conclusion, this work is to be commended for its coverage of an important area in the pioneering period that followed Vatican II and that has had long-lasting and positive effects.

Roberto Catalano is co-Director of the International Office for Interreligious Dialogue, Focolare Movement – Rome (Italy). He holds a Doctorate in Theology of Religions and a Master Degree in Philosophy and Sociology.
He lived in India for 28 years where he was actively involved in interreligious dialogue. While in India, he organised several symposia and other events for Hindus and Christians, both in Rome and in India. After taking up his appointment in Rome, the events he has also organised events with Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews.
Among his published works are Spiritualità di comunione e dialogo interreligioso. L’esperienza di Chiara Lubich e del Movimento dei Focolari, Citta Nuova, Roma, 2010, Prakash Singh. Il mio vicino., Citta Nuova Roma, 2012, and William Carey e il Trio di Serampore, Aracne, Roma 2012. He edited several proceeding of Hindu-Christian Symposia: Bhakti devotion to God and Love to our Brother, St Paul’s Publications, Mumbai India 2003; Streams of Spirituality: Hindu and Christians in dialogue, St Paul’s Publications, Mumbai India 2005; and God, Man and Nature: the Hindu and Christian Perspectives, St Paul’s Publications, Mumbai India 2008.