The president of the Consulta Courage: “Republic Day, an occasion for rebirth after a pandemic”

June 2, after more than a year of pandemic and in the light of the debate it generated on reforms “is an opportunity for rebirth. The pandemic was like a pause in our economic, social and cultural development. The partial closure of the school, and the inevitable limits of distance learning are a particularly significant example “. The president of the Constitutional Court, Giancarlo Coraggio, said this to the Adnkronos, recalling: “therefore, all of us citizens, and not just the institutions, must take the opportunity to take our lives back in hand. And also our Constitution: not as set of abstract norms but of values ​​that live only if and insofar as each one makes them his own “. President Coraggio urges: “As the Constitution provides in several points, active participation in the social and political life of the country is not only a fundamental right, but also a duty that is expressed not only when voting in elections or referendums but in daily life, through participation as individuals and, even more importantly, in the social formations referred to in Article 2 of the Constitution “. Why is the birth of the state celebrated in many countries, while in Italy March 17 is not remembered except in the centenary, but the Republic Day is celebrated? “It is indisputable the importance of underlining the birth of the new republican state and its Constitution every year – he replies – But I must add that I find it serious to remember the Unification of Italy only on the occasion of its centenary. I believe that the missed annual celebration of this fundamental event in our country has been, and is, a serious mistake “. “The periodic re-emergence of controversies about the Risorgimento, and how the unification of Italy was achieved, is, I fear, also the result of an inadequate valorisation of the proclamation not only of the Kingdom of Italy but of a united Italy” . “Undoubtedly – he affirms – celebrating the birth of the Republic has a particular historical and political significance. Our State, born on the ashes of fascism and thanks to the Republican Constitution, constitutes a profoundly different reality compared, not only to the dark years of the fascist period, but also to the liberal democracy that preceded that period; a democracy that in its time had certainly represented a step forward compared to previous absolutisms, but which had within itself great limits to the participation of the masses. So – he concludes – the importance of to emphasize the birth of the new republican state and its Constitution every year “. (by Roberta Lanzara)