On Sunday, November 16, at the Ridotto del Teatro del Popolo, the award ceremony for the Archbishop, who served for eleven years as “Fidei donum” in Ciad.
For eleven years, he brought a message of peace to Ciad, a region characterized by a clear predominance of the Muslim religion and where Christians make up just 1% of the population. He carried out his service in a mission territory (“fidei donum”) first in the capital N’Djamena and then in the immense vicariate of Mongo, where he contributed to its establishment in the heart of the Sahel. His commitment combined the Gospel message with social issues, in the spirit of dialogue and peace among peoples.
These, in a nutshell, are the reasons that led to the awarding of the “Romanello Cantini. Fabbricanti di arcobaleni” Peace Prize (3rd edition) to Monsignor Gherardo Gambelli, Metropolitan Archbishop of Florence.
The award ceremony for Monsignor Gherardo Gambelli, who has close ties to Castelfiorentino (the town where he grew up with his family), will take place on Sunday, November 16 (at 4:00 p.m.) at the Ridotto del Teatro del Popolo.
The evening, introduced by Alessandro Spinelli (press office of the Municipality of Castelfiorentino), will feature speeches by the Mayor, Francesca Giannì, the Councilor for Culture, Franco Spina, and finally Lapo Cantini. This will be followed by a conversation with Monsignor Gherardo Gambelli, led by journalist Andrea Fagioli, and finally the award ceremony by Daniela Casagli, president of the “Romanello Cantini” Association. The various speeches will be interspersed with musical interludes by the Orpheus Association.
As you may recall, the “Romanello Cantini. Fabbricanti di arcobaleni” award is inspired by the title of the book that the intellectual (who passed away in 2022) published in 2013, retracing the history of the global peace movement during the 20th century. Unfortunately, the book is still extremely relevant today.
“The cultural and moral figure of Romanello Cantini,” emphasizes Franco Spina, Councilor for Culture, “with the legacy of his thoughts and writings, still lives on in Castelfiorentino, with the third edition of the award dedicated to him, this year awarded to Monsignor Gambelli, a peace worker in Chad. We are happy to carry on, together with the association founded in his name, the Culture of Peace, as a concrete testimony to strive for in our daily lives. The culture of peace starts with individual stories, with the small things each of us does, with the ‘bridges’ we build between differences, with full respect for our own and others’ freedom. Because starting to ‘make rainbows’ can and must be our task in the world.”
The Cantini Prize is an integral part of the “Peace of Castelfiorentino after Montaperti” program, which on Saturday, November 15, includes a walk through the sites of the battle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines (info: Nicola 328.4136156) and a medieval combat tournament (Saturday, November 15, and Sunday, November 16), while the historical reenactment of the signing of the peace agreements is scheduled for Saturday, November 22.
For detailed information on the program: Castelfiorentino tourist office (0571.629049) www.comune.castelfiorentino.fi.it and the municipality’s social media pages.
