Dialop’s journey made another stop in Loppiano (Florence) in collaboration with the Sophia University Institute on October 17-18, 2025. A discussion between Rector O’Byrne and the president of the European Left, Walter Baier gave the right input to the reflection of national groups in 6 Countries: Argentina, Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal.
The conference took place on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 October 2025.
The tone is soft, the faces serene, but the questions are punches in the stomach. “Peace comes through social justice: how and when will we have a planet Earth that is home to all? Instead of peace, there is increasing talk of preparing for conflict, of general rearmament: what economic transformation is needed to promote the common good? We young people are told to hope for the future, but even the present is not assured: what guarantees can you give us today that our tomorrow will be better than our present?” The Argentinian moderator Candela Copparoni recently participated in the Mediterranean Meetings aboard a boat sailing the Mediterranean, bringing young people together to experiment peace through dialogue. She was entrusted with the task of opening the conference on the sources of Hope in tough times, organized on October 17 and 18 in Loppiano by DIALOP in collaboration with the Sophia University Institute.
Click for the whole report by P. Loriga and L. Sello
Click for the report from the group DIALOGOS PARA LA TRANSFORMACION of Buenos Aires
Some glimpses from the groups.
The President of the European Left, Walter Baier and the Rector of the Sophia University Institute, Declan O’Byrne giving kick-off lectures.
Vienna: Linda Kreuzer (Uni Wien- Theologische Fakultät): Liberating democratic perspectives. Along with Martin Birkner reporting on Bloch, Holloway and the political theology. Ekaterina Schalmann of System Change not Climate Change on the limits of growth. Wolfgang Palaver: The option of social defense for the peace process.
In Buenos Aires the discussion between Ruben Drì and Juan Pedro Affanni pointed out that it would be proper to talk about a dialogue between different forms of Christianity and of Marxism because of the religious and political-ideological plurality, thinking of both as costellations more than monoliths.
The Viennese group
The Italian group representatives reporting at the end of the conference.
In Lisbon the topic was to explore themes that populism exploits rather than waiting for the “madness” to pass. And to organize spaces for debate to dismantle false portrayals of taboos. Lunchtime was essential!