Video and text of the speech of dr. Alessandro Lo Presti, Institutional Relations and Representation Regional Council of Tuscany, opens the meeting waiting for the President of the Regional Council of Tuscany, dr. Eugenio Giani.
Good evening to everybody. I'm not Eugenio Giani, who is well known, he is about to arrive, so I really don't even greet you on behalf of the President, because he will surely come as he has done on other occasions.
However, because we're already a little late on the scheduled beginning I thought, obviously on instructions of the President, to give the start to this important and good initiative. Allow me to just do this.
I'm just saying, not as a matter of form, really, that when professor Calzolari and his other colleagues came to us to propose the presentation of this book that contains the acts of an important conference and explained it to me, to tell you the truth, I wasn't aware of the Organization, of FOB, of its purposes, so I read the book extensively, its papers, and I was really pleased that professor Calzolari and his colleagues have had the sensibility to ask one of the most beautiful rooms, the most important of the Regional Council, to address and continue the work of this important and prestigious association which was founded on the principles and values which would be an understatement to define topical and of extraordinary importance.
So really, I will not dwell over because I would have a lot to say but I don't want to take up your time and, above all, it had to be President to do the official greeting, but I'm just saying that the Regional Council during this last term, the X term that began almost exactly two years ago, has in any case intended to honor in some way the underlying principles that also your organization promotes, in that it has kept the halls of this Regional Council open to initiatives that are closely similar to yours, in particular it has hosted both in 2015 and 2016 a series of meetings of interfaith dialogue among the major organizations, among the major religious denominations present in our territory, because not only in the statutory principles of the Statute of Florence, but right in our own – allow me this term – Tuscan identity, there is a deeply ingrained sense of freedom, a sense of equality, a sense of tolerance towards all, including towards religions and religious freedom.
So I really thank the professor and his colleagues and I think that this indeed a suitable seat to deal with the issues that you, in such a deep and accurate way, are bringing forward. This is still very much needed in Italy and most of all, there is a strong need that also the Italian legislation acknowledges what you, I see, are proposing in terms of adaptation, especially on the overcoming of the existence, unfortunately, in our law system, of the law on admitted faiths.
Having said that, I thank you and greet you. We obviously wait for the greetings of the President afterwards and, at this point, professor Calzolari will present this meeting. Thank you very much.
