President Pavoncello Greets Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at Rome Synagogue

From left, President Franco Pavoncello and Premier Giuseppe Conte (photo courtesy of Adnkronos)

Second from left, President Franco Pavoncello, followed by Premier Giuseppe Conte (photo courtesy of Adnkronos)

On January 18, 2019, John Cabot University President Franco Pavoncello greeted Italian Prime Minister and former JCU Board member Giuseppe Conte at the Rome synagogue.

“I reaffirm Italy’s commitment to the protection of religious freedom and the fight against discrimination. The government will do its part,” said Prime Minister Conte on a visit to the synagogue for a meeting with the Jewish community in Rome. The premier wore the traditional kippah, the headgear used by men in Jewish places of worship.

Before entering the Synagogue, Conte paid tribute to the two-year-old victim and the 40 people wounded in the attack that took place there in 1982. “Even today, while we are sometimes indifferent to anti-Semitism, we must learn from the past,” added Conte, recalling many episodes of news in recent months, such as racist chants in stadiums or testimonies of private citizens who denounce discriminatory episodes.

Read the article in Italian “Conte in visita alla Sinagoga di Roma” (Adnkronos)