The “Secret Line” between the State and the Vatican in the new book by Antonio Preziosi

‘Secret Line’: behind the scenes between the State and the Vatican in over seventy years of history, through facts, events and curiosities told by the director of Tg2 Antonio Preziosi in his latest literary effort published by San Paolo. The volume tells the behind-the-scenes story of the continuous and intense confrontation between the two banks of the Tiber: from the First Republic to the G7 in Puglia.

In the book Preziosi also talks about a pressing topical issue such as that of migration policies. “The area of ​​discussion between the Holy See and the centre-right government – observes Preziosi – is above all that of migrants. The theme of hospitality is very dear to Pope Francis and it is on this that the thermometer of relations between the two banks of the Tiber is measured”. “In February 2023, the tragic shipwreck occurred off the coast of Cutro, in Calabria with the death of dozens of fugitives at the mercy of smugglers. Giorgia Meloni – recalls the director of Tg2 – reiterates full consonance with the words of pain pronounced by the Pope. Looking out of the window onto St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus, Francis prays “for the victims of the shipwreck, for their families and for those have survived” and expresses “appreciation” and “gratitude to the local population and the institutions for their solidarity and welcome towards these brothers and sisters of ours”, renewing the appeal “so that similar tragedies do not happen again”.

Words of pain, of condemnation for human traffickers, of appreciation for those who showed solidarity and welcome, and also for the institutions. And there is no shortage of replies from the prime minister who entrusts her thoughts to social channels: “Let us make the words of the Holy Father our own” she writes, and adds that they ‘represent a great appeal for all the institutions. As a government we make them ours, continuing to use all the forces necessary to fight human traffickers and stop deaths at sea.”

In ‘Secret Line’, Preziosi also tells how Paul VI reacted to the death of Aldo Moro. How the end of the political unity of Catholics in Italy really went. In short, a journey full of surprises and twists. “Every time the Italian parliament addresses sensitive issues regarding personal, family, social ethics and culture in our country, – the reflection contained in the volume – dialogue with the Catholic Church is inevitable and indispensable. But Italy, from this point of view, is a truly unique case because it hosts, in the heart of the capital, a small state of enormous international importance: the Vatican City and the Pontiff, which is the point of reference for millions of Catholics “.

The author also recounts the turning points, at certain dramatic moments, of the challenging relationship between politics and institutions. Respect, dialogue, open collaboration for the common good have never failed, the thesis advanced in ‘Secret Line’, but not all Governments, not all Parliaments and not all tenants of the Quirinale have always had the same type of comparison. And some seasons have been particularly difficult. Preziosi thus retraces the referendums on divorce and abortion, the years of terrorism, the debate on the family, on immigration, on the great moral choices.