Saturday, March 7, 2026
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (GMT+01:00) Rome
Location: Villa Malta (Rome) Sala Curci
We are accustomed to approaching biblical texts primarily in search of answers. Yet, those who read them carefully soon discover that the Bible is also—and perhaps above all—a great book of questions. Questions posed by God to humanity, questions that humanity poses to God, and questions that are unsettling, provocative, and sometimes even destabilizing. Some questions remain unanswered, others open up unexpected paths, while still others challenge established certainties. In this conversation, we will address some of these uncomfortable questions, exploring them from unexpected perspectives.
To RSVP, please email eventi@lacivilitacattolica.it.
This event is co-sponsored by the Georgetown University Representative Office in Rome and La Civilità Cattolica.
Featured
Emanuela Buccioni is the head of the Biblical Apostolate Service of the Diocese of Terni and collaborates with the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of Tuscany. She was consecrated in the Ordo Virginum in 2003, and she obtained her licentiate and doctorate in Biblical theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Her publications include La traduzione e le traduzioni. Incontrare e trasmettere la Parola di Dio nelle diverse parole dell'uomo (2016), La preghiera nell'Antico Testamento (2024), and La Settimana Santa. Un concentrato di grazia (2024).
Chiara Peri graduated from Sapienza University of Rome with a degree in in Semitic philosophy and obtained her Ph.D. in Hebrew studies from the University of Turin. She has published the following works for the Paideia publishing house: Il regno del Nemico. La morte nella religione di Canaan (2003) and Poemi ugaritici della regalità. I poemi di Keret e di Aqhat (2001).
Debora Tonelli is a representative of Georgetown University in Rome, a researcher at FBK-ISR, and an invited professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm (Rome). She holds a Ph.D. in political philosophy and that in theology. Her research focuses on the dynamics between religion and violence, interreligious dialogue, and the political use of biblical interpretation. Her publications include: Il Decalogo. Uno sguardo retrospettivo (2010), Immagini di violenza divina nell'AT (2014), and Exiting Violence. The Role of Religion (De Grutyer, 2024), edited with Gerard Mannion.
Rev. Claudio Zonta, S.J., is a writer for La Civiltà Cattolica and teaches Italian and Latin at the Massimiliano Massimo Institute in Rome. He holds a licentiate in Biblical theology and specializes in musical languages. In collaboration with Centro Astalli, he has produced two albums: Yayla. Musiche ospitali and Shahida. Tracce di libertà. He has published the book Luci sul palco (2024) for the Àncora publishing house.