tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666065493789266874.post7547710052151701780..comments2023-09-04T15:03:58.279+02:00Comments on alba montori: c'è l'angelus.....!bibihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12388859621014423095noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666065493789266874.post-3863876167329706852008-01-14T16:56:00.000+01:002008-01-14T16:56:00.000+01:00Ormando Day, 13-01-08, Roma --Decimo Anniversario ...Ormando Day, 13-01-08, Roma --<BR/>Decimo Anniversario Memoriale<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/><BR/>Ormando Day, 1-13-08, Rome --<BR/>10th Memorial Anniversary<BR/><BR/>==========<BR/><BR/>Dear friends:<BR/><BR/>This very day, 13 January 2008, marks the tenth anniversary of the<BR/>self-immolation by fire of Alfredo Ormando, in the center of St.<BR/>Peter's Square, when he protested by his extreme action against the<BR/>Vatican's harsh homophobia, in his own tortured life surely but also<BR/>for the sake of others as well.<BR/><BR/>I always feel great sadness and much regret that Alfredo had felt so<BR/>emotionally distraught that he would commit such a painful suicide<BR/>rather than try to lead a satisfying and fulfilling life.<BR/><BR/>However, being of Sicilian heritage myself, and knowing only too well<BR/>the gripping constraints that he must have experienced as a gay man<BR/>in the context of his cultural society and his religious church,<BR/>where civil mores and religious traditions would only exacerbate such<BR/>a sensitive soul and conscience, it is not surprising that he would<BR/>contemplate to end his life in such a miserable but bold way.<BR/><BR/>Every year, on January 13, since 1998, I have often thought about<BR/>Alfredo Ormando's profound human loneliness and spiritual isolation,<BR/>so devastating emotionally to himself that even the painful flames of<BR/>self-immolation did not hurt as much; because the inner fire of<BR/>internalized homophobia was much greater than the physical fire<BR/>around his body, there as he burnt himself up, symbolically, in the<BR/>middle of St. Peter's Square, as a self-induced holocaust to his<BR/>society and to his church and to his God.<BR/><BR/>Poor, Alfredo. If only it could have been otherwise.<BR/><BR/>But from his sacrificial offering of himself, so much has occurred,<BR/>not only in the souls of glbti and straight Italians but also in the<BR/>souls of many others, in other nations and in other religions, in the<BR/>ten years since 1998 and in the many more years yet to come.<BR/><BR/>So, sleep quietly now, Alfredo; rest contentedly in peace forever;<BR/>although misunderstanding yourself and being misunderstood by others,<BR/>your life was not in vain; indeed, it was the laying down of your own<BR/>life, of your own accord, that gave it its ultimate meaning. And in<BR/>that, you have given greater significance to us in our lives, and to<BR/>those who are yet to live.<BR/><BR/>--- Sal<BR/><BR/>==========<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.openeyepictures.com/alfredosfire/af_proposal.html<BR/><BR/>"Alfredo's Fire" -- The Movie<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/><BR/>A one-hour documentary, ALFREDO'S FIRE brings to life the man behind<BR/>the flames and the issues his fire illuminates. The film exposes<BR/>tensions between faith and homosexuality -- conformity and<BR/>individuality -- and shows the deadly consequences of religious<BR/>intolerance.<BR/><BR/>ALFREDO'S FIRE takes on an issue often lost in the gay and lesbian<BR/>liberation struggle: the relationship between anti-gay discrimination<BR/>and religious intolerance -- and, ironically, the importance of<BR/>spiritual expression. A questionable martyr, with the light of a<BR/>match Alfredo connected a history of persecution and self-<BR/>annihilation to a hope for communion. The fire that consumed Alfredo<BR/>is the same that illuminated him, allowing him to be seen in a<BR/>society that would rather not see. It was a fire, Alfredo believed,<BR/>that would join him with a God in whose image he could never be seen<BR/>while alive.<BR/><BR/>Representing both the lighting and extinguishing of a life force,<BR/>fire is a perfect leitmotif for exploring the issue of homosexuality<BR/>and religion. It is simultaneously communion with an elusive God, an<BR/>expression of pent-up passion and rage, a coming out, a purification,<BR/>self-annihilation, and liberation -- feelings or ideals experienced<BR/>by gays and lesbians worldwide. Recalling the burnings-at-the-stake<BR/>of homosexuals by the Church in the Middle Ages, Alfredo's fire, like<BR/>the namesake film, is both a memorial and protestation. Never again.<BR/><BR/>By showing the life and death of one man at once drawn to and<BR/>repelled by his deepest longings, the film puts into relief<BR/>contemporary issues regarding faith and sexuality. Several<BR/>documentaries have been made on gay subjects. Usually they are<BR/>focused on cases of homophobia, discrimination, or liberation -- gays<BR/>as victims or victors. Disinterested in such dualities or<BR/>merely "religion bashing," we want to explore the nature of the<BR/>oppression -- but also the responsibility of being different in<BR/>society. Moreover, what are the enduring, life-giving qualities of<BR/>spiritual connection, and how can its absence cripple? Instead of<BR/>glorifying Alfredo's action, we see his story as a touchstone and<BR/>mirror.<BR/><BR/>The fire that Alfredo ignited is emblematic of the struggle for<BR/>acceptance of gays and lesbians in religious and social institutions,<BR/>but also of the universal drive to better oneself, and to be seen and<BR/>accepted in spite of personal difference. In reassembling the<BR/>tattered existence of one man, ALFREDO'S FIRE offers a spark of hope<BR/>and compassion -- a flame by which to remember, witness, and come out<BR/>of the dark.<BR/><BR/><BR/>==========<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.january13.org/index.asp?id=38 [Italian version]<BR/><BR/>http://www.january13.org/indexeng.asp?id=38 [English version]<BR/><BR/>January13.org<BR/>[sponsored by Arcigay, Italy's largest lgbti organization]<BR/><BR/>"Alfredo Ormando (1958-1998)"<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/><BR/>Alfredo Ormando was born in San Cataldo (Caltanissetta, Sicily) on 15<BR/>December 1958. His parents were illiterate farm-workers with eight<BR/>children, living in very modest economic conditions.<BR/><BR/>Following his father's death, he lived a turbulent childhood and<BR/>adolescence, and never attended school regularly. He was still a<BR/>minor, when he was sent to a re-education centre; he ended the first<BR/>cycle of intermediate school aged 20, and then obtained its diploma<BR/>in 1993 when he was 35.<BR/><BR/>He lives in precarious conditions and is unemployed, ending up in the<BR/>street.<BR/><BR/>He spent two years in a Catholic Seminary, victim of a mystic crisis:<BR/>this experience changed deeply his concept of the world.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile he keeps being keen on writing which soon becomes the main<BR/>objective of his life: to convey via his works the emotions and<BR/>contradictions of everything that is around him.<BR/><BR/>The publishing houses refuse to publish all of his novels (an<BR/>autobiographical Trilogy in three volumes: Il Dubbio, L'Escluso, and<BR/>Sotto il cielo d'Urano: The Doubt, The Excluded, and Under the Sky of<BR/>Uranus), fairytales and short tales.<BR/><BR/>In 1995, making a great economical sacrifice and with the help of his<BR/>eighty-year-old mother's old age pension, Ormando publishes at his<BR/>expense the short novel Il Fratacchione [The Big Brother], and in<BR/>1997 five short tales in a magazine he created with the title "I<BR/>Miserabili" ["The Miserable Ones"].<BR/><BR/>In October 1997, after not passing for the second time the written<BR/>test of the Latin exam – the last exam before getting a degree in<BR/>Literature - may have been one of the main reasons for sinking again<BR/>into a state of depression: He had been a victim of depression many<BR/>times, but he would have never overcome this one.<BR/><BR/>Alfredo Ormando feels unsuccessful both as a man and as a writer.<BR/><BR/>In December 1997, he wrote this letter to a friend of his in Reggio<BR/>Emilia:<BR/><BR/>... Palermo [Sicily], Christmas 1997<BR/><BR/>... Dear Adriano, this year I can't feel it's Christmas anymore, it<BR/>is indifferent to me, like everything; nothing can bring me back to<BR/>life.<BR/><BR/>... I keep on getting ready for my suicide day by day; I feel this is<BR/>my fate, I've always been aware but never accepted it, but this<BR/>tragic fate is there, it's waiting for me with the patience of Job<BR/>which looks incredible.<BR/><BR/>... I haven't been able to escape this idea of death, I feel I can't<BR/>avoid it, nor can I pretend to live and plan a future I do not have;<BR/>my future will just be a prosecution of this present.<BR/><BR/>... I live with the awareness of who's leaving this life, and this<BR/>doesn't look dreadful to me! No! I can't wait for the day I will<BR/>bring this life of mine to an end; they will think I am mad because I<BR/>have chosen Saint Peter's Square to be the place where I'll set<BR/>myself on fire, while I could do it here in Palermo as well.<BR/><BR/>... I hope they'll understand the message I want to convey; it is a<BR/>form of protest against the Church which demonises homosexuality,<BR/>demonising nature at the same time, because homosexuality is its<BR/>daughter.<BR/><BR/>... Alfredo.<BR/><BR/>Excerpts from his correspondence:<BR/><BR/>"I want to die, I don't want to be marginalized forever."<BR/><BR/>"I am sorry if I was born, for having polluted the air you breathe<BR/>with my poisonous breath, for having dared in thinking and behaving<BR/>like a man, for not having accepted a diversity I did not feel, for<BR/>having considered homosexuality a natural sexuality, for having felt<BR/>just like heterosexuals and second to none, for having the ambition<BR/>of becoming a writer, for having dreamt, for having laughed."<BR/><BR/>"The monster leaves the place in order not to offend you, not to make<BR/>you feel ashamed any longer of his disgraceful presence, not to make<BR/>you feel disgusted and turn your back when you meet him while walking<BR/>on a street."<BR/><BR/>"I couldn't deceive my biological love for life anymore, I couldn't<BR/>find a reason for my marginalization, for my endless loneliness."<BR/><BR/>"Do not try to build me a tearful tombstone; shall I be an infection<BR/>after my death as well. If fuel won't produce its effect, turn me<BR/>into ashes, cremate me and disperse my ashes in the Roman<BR/>countryside: at least I would like to be useful as manure."<BR/><BR/>"Imagine, with one simple act I will get rid of all of you... during<BR/>these 39 years I have never meant anything to you, instead you are<BR/>ashamed of myself... I am not scared of dying... I am going back<BR/>home."<BR/><BR/>At the beginning of January 1998, Ormando feels he has come to the<BR/>last step of his painful via crucis.<BR/><BR/>On that cold 13 January 1998, Ormando has just become 39 years old.<BR/><BR/>His mother had talked to him the previous night. Alfredo had called<BR/>her to inform her that he would have to go to Rome for his studies.<BR/>Gaetano Mangano, his landlord in Palermo, had seen him two days<BR/>before, and Alfredo had borrowed from him a hundred thousand lira.<BR/><BR/>A woman who is cleaning the toilets in Saint Peter's Square sees<BR/>Ormando pouring fuel on his clothes and running ablaze to the centre<BR/>of the square.<BR/><BR/>The police immediately try to help him; and a policeman tries to<BR/>extinguish the flames, using his jacket. Before fainting Alfredo<BR/>mumbles: "I haven't even been able to die."<BR/><BR/>He is brought to St. Eugenio Hospital, where he died after ten days<BR/>of atrocious death throes.<BR/><BR/>The letters he had on himself are not published, and the Vatican's<BR/>press office gives out a press release in which it is declared that<BR/>Alfredo Ormando committed suicide, not because of his homosexuality<BR/>or of his protest against the Catholic Church, but because he has<BR/>serious family problems.<BR/><BR/>But, immediately after his death, the ANSA press agency received his<BR/>letters and published part of them.<BR/><BR/><BR/>==========<BR/><BR/>http://www.january13.org/index.asp?id=42 [Italian version]<BR/><BR/>http://www.january13.org/indexeng.asp?id=42 [English vesion]<BR/><BR/>January13.org<BR/>[sponsored by Arcigay, Italy's largest glbti organization]<BR/><BR/>"Giornata Mondiale per il Dialogo tra Religioni e Omosessualità"<BR/>DIECI ANNI DOPO: 13 gennaio 1998 - 13 gennaio 2008<BR/><BR/>"World Day for the Dialogue between Religions and Homosexuality"<BR/>TEN YEARS LATER: 13 January 1998 - 13 January 2008<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/><BR/>Il 13 gennaio 1998 Alfredo Ormando, intellettuale e poeta siciliano,<BR/>si tolse la vita dandosi fuoco in piazza San Pietro, in segno di<BR/>protesta contro l'omofobia delle gerarchie vaticane.<BR/><BR/>[On 13 January 1998 Alfredo Ormando, Sicilian intellectual and poet,<BR/>took his life by putting himself on fire in St. Peter's Square, as a<BR/>sign of protest against the homophobia of the Vatican hierarchy.]<BR/><BR/>Da allora, ogni anno Arcigay organizza a Roma una commemorazione del<BR/>sacrificio di Ormando e quest'anno se ne celebra il decimo<BR/>anniversario.<BR/><BR/>[Since then, every year Arcigay has organized at Rome a commemoration<BR/>of the sacrifice by Ormando, and this year its tenth anniversary is<BR/>celebrated.]<BR/><BR/>A dieci anni esatti di distanza, il bisogno di riflettere sul<BR/>rapporto che le fedi religiose e i loro rappresentanti hanno con le<BR/>persone lesbiche, gay e trans è ancora attuale come allora. Alcune<BR/>confessioni hanno manifestato segnali di grande e significativa<BR/>apertura, ma le grandi religioni monoteiste hanno continuato<BR/>l'atteggiamento di condanna verso le persone omosessuali.<BR/><BR/>[At exactly ten years' distance, the need to reflect on the relation<BR/>that the religious faiths and their representatives have with<BR/>lesbian, gay and trans persons is actually still as previously. Some<BR/>confessions (denominations) have manifested signs of great and<BR/>significant openness, but the grand monotheistic religions have<BR/>continued the attitude of condemnation against homosexual persons.]<BR/><BR/>Specialmente il Vaticano esprime delle posizioni che sempre più<BR/>graffiano la coscienza e la sensibilità di molti fedeli cattolici,<BR/>chiudendo le porte al dialogo, che invece viene alimentato, spesso<BR/>faticosamente ma con grande passione e convinzione, da molte comunità<BR/>religiose di base.<BR/><BR/>[Particularly the Vatican expresses its positions that are always<BR/>lashing out more at the conscience and sensibility of many faithful<BR/>Catholics, closing the doors to the dialogue, which instead of<BR/>becoming nourishing, though often exhaustive of great passion and<BR/>conviction, from many religiously based communities.]<BR/><BR/>Anche quest'anno Alfredo Ormando verrà ricordato con il tradizionale<BR/>Sit-In in piazza Pio XII (la piazza antistante a Piazza San Pietro) e<BR/>con un Convegno, il cui tema sarà: "Liberaci dal Male: quis custodiet<BR/>custodes?".<BR/><BR/>[Also this year, Alfredo Ormando shall be remembered by the<BR/>traditional Sit-In at Pius XII plaza [the plaza in front of St.<BR/>Peter's Square] and by a Convention, whose theme shall be: "Deliver<BR/>us from Evil: who is watching the custodians?".]<BR/><BR/>Segreteria [Secretary]<BR/>06 64501102<BR/><BR/>Ufficio Stampa [Press Office]<BR/>347 9578585<BR/><BR/>13gennaio@arcigay.it<BR/><BR/>==========<BR/><BR/>http://newscontrol.repubblica.it/item/404937/omofobia-sit-in-arcigay-<BR/>a-s-pietro<BR/><BR/>Repubblica.it [a major Italian online newspaper]<BR/><BR/>"Omofobia: Sit-In Arcigay a S. Pietro"<BR/>[Homophobia: Arcigay Sit-In at St. Peter's"<BR/><BR/>13 gennaio 2008 alle 12:48 — Fonte: repubblica.it<BR/>[13 January 2008 at 12:48 - Source: Repubblica.it]<BR/><BR/>-----<BR/><BR/>Alle 14 di oggi a Roma l'Arcigay ha organizzato un sit-in in piazza<BR/>Pio XII, accanto al Vaticano, in memoria di Alfredo Ormando,<BR/>l'intellettuale siciliano che il 13 gennnaio del 1998 si tolse la<BR/>vita dandosi fuoco in piazza San Pietro per protestare "contro<BR/>l'omofobia delle gerarchie vaticane e la loro ingerenza nella vita<BR/>politica del nostro paese".<BR/><BR/>[At 2:00 pm today at Rome, Arcigay has organized a sit-in at Pope<BR/>Pius XII plaza, in front of the Vatican, in memory of Alfredo<BR/>Ormando, the Sicilian intellectual that on 13 January 1998 took his<BR/>life by putting himself on fire in St. Peter's Square to<BR/>protest "against the homophobia of the Vatican hierarchy and its<BR/>interference in the political life of our nation".]<BR/><BR/>A dieci anni di distanza l'Arcigay ha voluto organizzare anche un<BR/>convegno che si svolgerà presso la Fondazione Olivetti alle ore<BR/>16.00.<BR/><BR/>[At ten years' distance, Arcigay has wanted to organize also a<BR/>convention that is being held at the Olivetti Foundation at 4:00 pm<BR/>today.]<BR/><BR/>"Il sit-in in piazza Pio XII sarà un momento per tutto il popolo lgbt<BR/>(lesbiche, gay, bisessuali, transgender) da dedicare alla memoria di<BR/>Alfredo Ormando ma anche la prima di una lunga serie di<BR/>manifestazioni che Arcigay ha deciso di indire nel 2008 per aprire<BR/>una nuova fase politica in relazione con tutta la società civile<BR/>italiana" ha dichiarato Aurelio Mancuso, presidente nazionale<BR/>Arcigay.<BR/><BR/>["The sit-in at the Pius XII plaza will be a moment for all lgbt<BR/>(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgerder) people for dedicating the<BR/>memory of Alfredo Ormando but also the first of a long series of<BR/>demonstrations that Arcigay has decided to proclaim in 2008 to open a<BR/>new political phase in relation to all civil Italian society" has<BR/>declared Aurelio Mancuso, Arcigay national president.]<BR/><BR/>"Il 13 gennaio è importante occasione di dialogo con tutte le<BR/>confessioni religiose — ha affermato Carlo Guarino, responsabile<BR/>nazionale per Arcigay della giornata per il dialogo per religione e<BR/>omosessualità — è nostra intenzione confrontarci con chi vuole<BR/>combattere la discriminazione e il pregiudizio. La religione infatti<BR/>è componente fondamentale della vita di molte persone lgbt che può<BR/>contribuire a migliorare la qualità della vita stessa quando riferita<BR/>alla sfera privata".<BR/><BR/>["January 13 is an important occasion for dialogue with all religious<BR/>confessions (denominations)" - has affirmed Carlo Guarino, Arcigay<BR/>national representative for the Day of Dialogue for Religions and<BR/>Homosexuality - "it is our intention to involve ourselves with<BR/>whoever wants to combat discrimination and prejudice. Religion in<BR/>fact is the fundamental component of life for many lgbt persons that<BR/>can contribute to making better the quality of life itself when<BR/>relegated to the private sphere".]<BR/><BR/><BR/>==========<BR/><BR/>Other web-sites, featuring tributes to Alfredo Ormando:<BR/><BR/>Soulforce: Action Alert about Ormando Day:<BR/>http://www.soulforce.org/article/340<BR/><BR/>Open Eye Pictures: the movie Alfredo's Fire:<BR/>http://www.openeyepictures.com/alfredosfire/af_proposal.html<BR/><BR/>Wikipedia: Article about Alfredo Ormando [English]:<BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Ormando<BR/><BR/>Wikipedia: Article about Alfredo Ormando [Italian]:<BR/>http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Ormando<BR/><BR/>Short Biography of Alfredo Ormando:<BR/>http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fam/bioo1/orma1.html<BR/><BR/>Longer Biography of Alfredo Ormando, with Links:<BR/>http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/allen/foa/foav4n01.html<BR/><BR/>==========<BR/>Salvuccio da USAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com