The View from Bologna

This morning things seem to be finally returning to normal, in terms of media coverage of the papacy. That translates, in the case of La Repubblica, to one front page piece, two full pages inside, and an editorial. Here, in what will hopefully be the final entry in TVFB™ concerning the Pontiff's death and funeral, we pick a couple of stories that have jumped out at us in the last few days:

The Amnesty
It seems that the Radical party need little excuse to embark on a publicity grabbing hunger strike, and the Pope's death has provided them with a hook to hang their dietary guerilla-media tactics on.

Up until 1870, in the Papal States it was traditional for the authorities to announce an amnesty upon the death of the pope. Surprisingly, given his fondness for judicial reform and the statute of limitations, Silvio Berlusconi has to date ignored calls by Radical party leader Marco Pannella for an amnesty for minor offences. Perhaps it's because the left wing opposition have been vaguely supportive of the Radicals' initiative, provided it's not used to save Berlusconi's chief financial advisor Cesare Previti.

Not normally seen as being close to the Vatican (it was largely due to their campaigning that the controversial assisted procreation law , with its perceived bias towards Catholic morality, has been put to a referendum), the Radicals have, to their credit, campaigned long and hard for reforms in the Italian penal system.

Pannella, who is a veteran hunger striker, went 9 days with neither food nor liquid, chain-smoking cigarettes for sustenance, before winning a solemn promise from all major players that they'll consider the amnesty.

It may be an admirable cause, though this Monkey would suggest that rather than amnesties, a fair and transparent judicial system is what's needed (not something that seems to have been provided by the current or previous Governments' legislative reforms). Resurecting traditions from the Papal States, when the Church imprisoned people, seems like a bad idea for any Republic, though.

The Polish Court
It's with an undisguised glee that the Italian pundits, if that's the right word to use for Papal correspondents, are talking about the end of the Polish court in the Vatican.

Writing in La Repubblica Giulio Anselmi commented: "Poles are talked about in the past tense in the Vatican. And with some satisfaction. A little because it's the destiny of all the tightest papal courts when the absolute power falls to the papal tombs. A little because 'i polacchi' weren't only a pontifical circel, but a national clan and a centre of power, a filter to the appartment on the 3rd floor of the Apostolic palace and a pressure group, solidified by a language, and personal habits, that has become known amongst priests in Rome as the "Velvet Lobby".[1]

On a popular chat show on Sunday, a panel was convened to discuss the upcoming papal conclave. All, wisely, were tight lipped, apart from predicting that it won't be a Pole.

Paddy Powers bookmakers are in agreement, currently listing Cardinals from France, Germany, Italy and Brazil in the front running.

The Footballers' Pope
Last week the footballers and coaches of both SS Lazio and AS Roma arrived, at different times, in St. Peter's to pay their last respects to the Pope. No Irish person alive during the tumultous days of 1990's World Cup in Italy will need to be reminded that the Pope was a keen footballer in his youth*. It would seem that the Roman teams are on a par with statesmen, not having had to queue for up to 24 hours to see the Pope's corpse.

After this weekend, the minister for the interior, Giuseppe Pisanu has been faced by serious violence on the football terraces. Various commentators have pointed out the huge numbers of people who have passed through Rome in the week after the Pope's death with nary an arrest or hint of trouble, while when the Italian Serie A championship resumed last Sunday there were numerous arrests and injuries to policemen.

Markette
One of the few Italian programmes to concern itself with satire and irreverent treatment of public figures, Markette, voluntarily went off the air for the whole of last week, as a sign of respect for the late Pope.

It would be cynical to suggest that station managers at La 7, the channel that broadcasts Markette breathed a sigh of relief at this decision.

An offense exists on the Italian statute books called vilipendio, which translates roughly as contempt or scorn, under which, convictions have been obtained for the following:

Currently Adel Smith, an Italian convert to Islam and head of the Italian Association of Muslims, has been charged with "vilipendio alla religione cattolica" for describing the crucifix as "representing the corpse of a naked man fixed to a piece of wood used by the Romans [...] to punish the worst criminals of the time"[3]. Smith had argued that his children should not be subjected to seeing the crucifix in their State run school.

In 2002, after a complaint from L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, police shut down five blasphemous internet sites.

Obviously Silvio Berlusconi's media hegemony isn't the only obstacle to healthy satire in Italian public life.

Meanwhile Dan Brown's The Da Vinci code is still one of the best selling books in Italy.

In truth, though, outside of Rome, aside from some transport congestion, life has been pretty normal despite the media overdrive surrounding the Pope's death. National mourning hasn't really affected much outside of the media and Government offices. Compromise and cohabitation are the keywords in this strange relationship.

*The entire Irish squad made their way to an audience with the Pope in the Vatican, prior to their quarter-final match with Italy in Rome's Olympic Stadium. The Pope had a special couple of words with goalkeeper Packie Bonner, as he himself had been a goalkeeper once. Fate, in the person of Totò Schillaci denied the Irish a victory, thus denting the religious faith of a fair few Guinness filled fans.
[1] "DEI POLACCHI si parla al passato in Vaticano. E con soddisfazione. Un po' perché questo è il destino di ttue le corti papali più strette quando sul potere assuluto cala la lastra tombale. Un po' perché 'i polacchi' non sono stati solo una cerchia pontificia, ma un clan nazionale e un centro di potere, un filtro per l'appartamento del 3° piano dei palazzi apostolici e un gruppo di pressione, cementato da legami di lingua e di abitudini personali, che hanno diffuso tra i preti romani la definizione di 'lobby di velluto'" - Giulio Anslemi - La Repubblica 11/04/2005
[2] Unione degli Atei e degli Agnostici Razionalisti
[3] Corriere della Sera