«FREEDOM DENIED. CATHOLIC THEOLOGY AND DICTATORSHIP OF WESTERN CONFORMITY". NEW WORK BY ARIEL S. LEVI of GUALDO

Among the greatest merits of the book is the ability to keep different plans together without confusing them. The Author intertwines the theological tradition of the great Fathers of the Church with the challenges posed by the contemporary era, including Artificial Intelligence, not treated as a technological curiosity but as a decisive test bed for Christian anthropology. The similarities between the theological thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas and some of the key elements that regulate and govern Artificial Intelligence are particularly interesting..

— Books and reviews —

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In a historical time in which the word "freedom" has become a consumable slogan, Freedom denied presents itself as a work deliberately against the grain. Not because he chases the taste of provocation, but because it rejects the anesthetizing language with which contemporary culture has emptied the fundamental concepts of moral anthropology and Christian theology of content.

Ariel S. Levi di Gualdo does not write to reassure, nor to confirm pre-packaged beliefs, but to stimulate thinking, above all to judge with a mature critical sense.

The heart of the work is a thesis as simple as it is radical: freedom is not an automatic given, nor an achievement guaranteed by technical progress or the expansion of the possibilities of choice. On the contrary, today it is systematically mutilated by a new form of power, more subtle and pervasive than those of the past: the dictatorship of Western conformism, which does not imprison bodies, but tames consciences; which does not explicitly prohibit, but silently orients what is sayable, thinkable, morally legitimate.

In this sense, Freedom denied it is not an essay on religious sociology nor an ideological indictment. It is a theological text in the most rigorous sense of the term: starts from man, from its spiritual and moral structure, to show how the loss of the truth about the good inevitably leads to the dissolution of freedom, remembers the Author, it does not consist of arbitrariness, but in the ability to adhere to the good recognized as the fulfillment of one's nature. When the limit is expelled from the human horizon, freedom does not expand: implode.

Among the book's greatest merits the ability to keep different plans together without confusing them. The Author intertwines the theological tradition of the great Fathers of the Church with the challenges posed by the contemporary era, including Artificial Intelligence, not treated as a technological curiosity but as a decisive test bed for Christian anthropology. The similarities between the theological thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas and some of the key elements that regulate and govern Artificial Intelligence are particularly interesting..

The analysis of internal ecclesial dynamics is particularly incisive. The Author does not indulge in personalistic polemics, nor in easy moralisms, but it clearly shows how even in the Church conformism can be transformed into a criterion of government, producing a progressive marginalization of everything that is not functional to consensus. In this picture, persecution no longer takes the form of bloody martyrdom, but that of irony, of delegitimization, of the systematic isolation of those who refuse to adapt to the dominant language.

The cover of the book — the Venus by Botticelli censored for “nudity” from a brand social — is not a simple graphic gimmick, but a key to understanding the entire book: beauty, when it is not tamable, must be darkened; the truth, when it cannot be manipulated, must be removed. In this sense, Freedom denied it is also a reflection on the relationship between truth and scandal: not the moral scandal constructed by the media, but the evangelical scandal of a truth that does not bend.

It is not a book for everyone and does not pretend to be, like the rest of the works of this author, it is terribly clear and understandable. It requires a reader willing to step outside comfort zone of ideological simplifications, to compete with a thought that allows no shortcuts. But this is precisely why it is a necessary book. In an era that confuses freedom with the absence of constraints and conscience with subjective feeling, Freedom denied remember that without truth there is no freedom and without freedom man loses himself.

A work that challenges believers and non-believers on the decisive point of our modernity: what remains of man when he gives up judging?

the Island of Patmos, 30 January 2026

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Italian, english, español

That Pope Francis to discover narrated by Andrea Tornielli

A key element without which the realistic reading of a personality and a complex figure like that of man Jorge Mario Bergoglio would not be easy to read: Francesco is the first Roman Pontiff ordered priest after the Second Vatican Council and for this, Unlike its four predecessors, He does not feel the need to defend or justify this last great Assize of the Church.

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PDF print format article – PDF article print format – PDF article in printed format

 

 

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With his latest literary work Francesco. The Pope of Mercy (Piemme, 2025), Andrea Tornielli offers readers a work that is worth the simple biography, going beyond certain exaltations of more or less hagiographic circumstances, often dedicated to the figures of the supreme popes.

In his narrative, measured and precise the author, who met and attended Jorge Mario Bergoglio years before his election to the Sacred Soglio, It offers a very interesting direct story, without trying the fictional stories aimed at teasing the emotion of the public. A sober news, As it is in the style of this author, capable of bringing out the most authentic and human dimension of the Roman Pontiff who has been disappeared for a few months.

One of the most interesting elements It is the reconstruction of the time between the renunciation of Benedict XVI to the subsequent conclave. The author introduces the reader into the atmosphere that hovered among the cardinals, also giving the book a historical value, because it documents with precision and rigor the days preceding the election of Francesco, a meticulous work already done in the past with its rich historical biographies on the summary popes of the twentieth century. Following this already consolidated style, in his Francesco. The Pope of Mercy It offers a linear story of facts, choices, Words and gestures.

Andrea Tornielli also highlights an element Key without which the realistic reading of a personality and a complex figure like that of man Jorge Mario Bergoglio would not be easy to read: Francesco is the first Roman Pontiff ordered priest after the Second Vatican Council and for this, Unlike its four predecessors, He does not feel the need to defend or justify this last great Assize of the Church; For him it is an element that constitutes an integral part of ecclesial living, that as such it should be lived and that's it. This aspect deeply marks its pontificate: The Council is no longer something to explain, If necessary, even to be justified, as on several occasions he had to do Benedict XVI, but a reality assumed and lived naturally.

Attention is also paid to various details of the life of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Then of the Supreme Pontiff Francesco, paying attention to memories related to dates of particular anniversaries, to family situations or even to simple sentences expressed in previous meetings, or in putting their interlocutors at ease, creating a family climate.

The descriptions remain faithful to the reality of the facts, without ever transcending into those fainted narrative artifices today so much in vogue in communication, When you decide to enhance true or presumed qualities of the "dear extinct". But precisely in this decisive and precise news the true strength of the Pope is glimpsed in relief by the author's acumen: the ability to get close to everyone, in particular to those who suffer or are found in a time of difficulty.

Some personal episodes are also narrated, such as the disease and death of the author's parents and the constant proximity and interest of Pope Francis, sign of a relationship that exceeds roles, manifesting and teaching that, When you want to be close to someone, It doesn't matter who you are and what position you hold, because if you want you can always find time for a simple gesture, like a phone call or a small text message.

Many other details follow one another characterizing the personality of the man Jorge Mario Bergoglio and the Supreme Pontiff Francesco: From criticism to contemporary culture based on values ​​contrary to life, already reported previously by the highest Pontiff John Paul II and Benedict XVI as "Culture of Death", To follow with the calls of Francesco to the concept of "scrap culture", The dramas of the elderly abandoned in a sort of silent euthanasia, The pain for abortions that "break the bond with the future", the "theory" of gender contrary to the natural data or exasperated ecology that sees man as a problem or viruses to be eliminated. For Pope Francis, on the contrary, The man remains the administrator and custodian of the creation, called to transform what it receives into living culture.

The theme of peace then occupies a central place. For Francesco it is not enough to disarm the arsenals because "the minds must be disarmed first", that is, the consciences from the culture of war that transforms people into numbers and tools of power. The only antidote is mercy, capable of restoring dignity to man and sense to his future.

There is no shortage of controversy reported without filters, Like the pope's famous joke to those who asked him about cardinal women: "Anyone who wants to suffer a bit of clericalism". In the same way Francesco does not spare himself in criticizing the Marxist ideology, calling it "wrong", even if during his pontificate he was repeatedly branded as a filomarxist. The Holy Father did not fail to replicate that a bundle cannot be made of all the grass, having known good people who were Marxist, but not failing to clarify how wrong the ideology was, Following in this way the thought and pastoral lines of his predecessors Pius XII and John XXIII.

Several times the book returns the image of a Papa-Pastor who leaves nothing of intended towards those who feel lost, Even teaching that only wanting to look for is already a step forward. The testimonies of travel and meetings demonstrate this belief: Pope Francis always relies with confidence and trusts others. Particularly touching the pages that tell the meetings with the weak, in Friends are in malada. The Holy Father has always spoken to the heart, On many occasions also as a consequence, especially to thank those who waited for him for hours to listen to and see him, that is, for those who "welcomed it in his home", It is not lacking to clarify several times that he feels he himself enriched by the experience and hope he received as a gift of grace in these meetings.

In the reflections on the suffering of children, It does not offer theoretical answers: The Pope cries, shares the pain, showing a Christian compassion that goes beyond any speech, following the image of a Christ who suffered and cried on the cross in silence, or expressing only a few words, Also because you cannot always have an answer for everything, many elements, also several dramas of human suffering, like life and death, they remain wrapped in part in the mystery.

Andrea Tornielli's work It may affect not only scholars of ecclesial issues, But anyone who wants to understand the meaning of a complex pontificate, made not very complicated by the event that preceded him, The renunciation of Benedict XVI, In addition to the delicate world geopolitical structure characterized by outbreaks of dangerous wars open everywhere. The author thus returns the portrait of a man who has chosen to be close to people, with a pastoral and human style at times also appeared unusual, For many even extravagant, but who marked the contemporary history of the Church, generating appreciation in many and loss in others. But if we think about it this is the story of all the popes, at least of those who, more than from the schemes, they came out of that quiet mediocrity that tends to satisfy everyone so as not to disconnect anyone. Francesco has certainly disconnected many and, perhaps, Only this is enough not to make him a peaceful mediocre, but a very complex and complicated figure in its apparent simplicity. All tries again that man, every man, It remains a mystery for a large part, including man Jorge Mario Bergoglio, including the Supreme Pontiff Francesco. Then there are those who always have an answer for everything, But this is another matter, or better to say… blessed are they!

 

the Island of Patmos, 4 September 2025

 

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THAT POPE FRANCIS TO BE DISCOVERED, NARRATED BY ANDREA TORNIELLI

A key element without which a realistic reading of a personality and a complex figure like that of Jorge Mario Bergoglio would not be easy: Francis is the first Roman Pontiff ordained a priest after the Second Vatican Council and for this reason, unlike his four predecessors, he does not feel the need to defend or justify this last great assembly of the Church.

— books and reviews—

 

With his latest literary work, Francesco. The Pope of Mercy (Piemme, 2025), Andrea Tornielli offers readers a work that transcends mere biography, going beyond the more or less hagiographical exaltations often dedicated to the figures of the Supreme Pontiffs. In his measured and precise narrative, the Author, who knew and associated with Jorge Mario Bergoglio years before his election to the sacred throne, offers a highly engaging, direct account, without engaging in fictionalized stories aimed at stirring the audience’s emotions. A sober chronicle, typical of this Author’s style, capable of bringing out the most authentic and human dimension of the Roman Pontiff, who passed away only a few months ago.

One of the most interesting elements is the reconstruction of the time between Benedict XVI’s resignation and the subsequent conclave. The Author immerses the reader in the atmosphere that reigned among the cardinals, lending the book historical value by precisely and rigorously documenting the days preceding Francis’s election, a meticulous work already accomplished in his extensive historical biographies of the 20th-century Supreme Pontiffs. Following this well-established style, his “Francis: The Pope of Mercy” offers a linear account of events, choices, words, and gestures.

Andrea Tornielli also highlights a key element without which a realistic reading of a personality and a complex figure like Jorge Mario Bergoglio would be difficult: Francis is the first Roman Pontiff ordained a priest after the Second Vatican Council, and for this reason, unlike his four predecessors, he feels no need to defend or justify the Church’s last great assembly; for him, it is an integral part of ecclesial life, which must be experienced simply as such. This aspect profoundly marked his pontificate: the Council was no longer something to be explained, or even justified if necessary, as Benedict XVI had to do on several occasions, but a reality accepted and experienced naturally.

Attention is also focused on various details of the life of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, later the Supreme Pontiff Francis, paying attention to memories linked to particular anniversaries, family situations, or even simple phrases expressed in previous meetings, or to putting the interlocutors at ease, creating a family atmosphere.

The descriptions remain faithful to the facts, never descending into those sentimental narrative devices so in vogue today, when one decides to extol the real or imagined qualities of the “dearly departed”. But it is precisely in this decisive and precise account that one glimpses the Pope’s true strength, highlighted by the author’s acumen: the ability to reach out to everyone, especially those suffering or experiencing difficulty.

Some personal episodes are also recounted, such as the illness and death of the Author’s parents and the constant closeness and concern of Pope Francis, a sign of a relationship that transcends roles, demonstrating and teaching that, when you want to be close to someone, it doesn’t matter who you are or what position you hold, because if you want, you can always find time for a simple gesture, like a phone call or a quick text message.

The pages unfold with many other details characterizing the personalities of Jorge Mario Bergoglio the man and the Supreme Pontiff Francis: from the criticism of contemporary culture based on values ​​contrary to life, previously denounced by the Supreme Pontiffs John Paul II and Benedict XVI as a «culture of death», to Francis’s references to the concept of a «throwaway culture», the plight of the elderly abandoned in a sort of silent euthanasia, the pain of abortions that «break the link with the future», the “theory” of gender contrary to nature, or the exasperated environmentalism that sees humanity as a problem or a virus to be eliminated. For Pope Francis, on the other hand, humanity remains the administrator and guardian of creation, called to transform what we receive into a living culture.

The theme of peace also occupies a central place. For Francis, disarming arsenals is not enough because «we must first disarm the minds» that is, consciences, from the culture of war that transforms people into numbers and instruments of power. The only antidote is mercy, capable of restoring dignity to humanity and meaning to its future.

There is no shortage of unvarnished polemical points, such as the Pope’s famous quip to those who asked him about female cardinals: «Whoever wants one suffers a bit from clericalism». Likewise, Francis is very strict in his criticism of Marxist ideology, calling it «mistaken», even though he was repeatedly branded a Marxist during his pontificate. The Holy Father did not fail to retort that one cannot tar everyone with the same brush, having known good people who were Marxists, but he did not fail to point out just how mistaken the ideology was, thus following the thinking and pastoral guidelines of his predecessors Pius XII and John XXIII.

The book repeatedly portrays a Pope-shepherd who leaves no stone unturned for those who feel lost, even teaching that simply seeking is a step forward. The testimonies of his travels and encounters demonstrate this conviction: Pope Francis always trusts and entrusts himself to others. Particularly moving are the pages that recount his encounters with the weak, the wounded, or the sick. The Holy Father always spoke from the heart, often as a consequence, especially to thank those who waited for hours to hear and see him, that is, those who «welcomed him into their home». He also repeatedly emphasized that he himself felt enriched by the experience and hope he received as a gift of grace in these encounters.

In his reflections on children’s suffering, he offers no theoretical answers: the Pope weeps, shares the pain, demonstrating a Christian compassion that transcends all discourse, following the image of Christ who suffered and wept on the Cross in silence, or expressing only a few words, also because one cannot always have an answer for everything; many elements, even the various tragedies of human suffering, as of life and death, remain partly shrouded in mystery.

Andrea Tornielli's Work may be of interest not only to scholars of ecclesiastical affairs, but also to anyone seeking to understand the meaning of a complex pontificate, made more than a little complicated by the event that preceded it, the act of renunciation of Benedict XVI, as well as the extremely delicate global geopolitical order characterized by dangerous wars raging everywhere. The Author thus paints a portrait of a man who chose to be close to the people, with a pastoral and humane style that at times seemed unusual, even extravagant to many, yet one that has marked the contemporary history of the Church, generating appreciation in many and confusion in others. However, if we think about it carefully, this is the story of all Pontiffs, at least those who, rather than following the norm, emerged from that quiet mediocrity that tends to please everyone so as to displease no one. Francis has certainly displeased many, and perhaps this alone is enough to make him not a quiet mediocre man, but a highly complex and complicated figure in his apparent simplicity. All of this proves that man, every man, remains largely a mystery, including the man Jorge Mario Bergoglio, including the Supreme Pontiff Francis. Then there are those who always have an answer for everything, but that’s another matter, or rather… lucky them!

 

From the Island of Patmos, 4 September, 2025

 

______________________________

 

That Pope Francis to discover narrated by Andrea Tornielli

Francisco is the first Pontiff ordered priest after the Second Vatican Council and for this reason; Unlike its four predecessors, Does not feel the need to defend or justify the last great assembly of the Church. For him, It is an element that constitutes an integral part of ecclesial living, that as such must be lived. This aspect deeply marks its pontificate: The council is no longer something that must be explained, or even, If it is necessary to justify how Benedict XVI had done several times, but a reality assumed and lived naturally.

—Books and reviews—

 

.

With his last literary work Francisco. The Pope of Mercy (Piemme, 2025), Andrea Tornielli offers readers a work that transcends simple biography, going far beyond certain exaltations of circumstance, more or less hagiographic, often dedicated to the figures of the pontiffs. With his narrative, measure and precise, The author, who knew and frequented Jorge Mario Bergoglio years before his choice to the sacred Solio, offers a very interesting direct story, Without trying novel stories looks to touch the public emotionality. A sober chronicle, as it is in the style of this author, able to make the most authentic and human dimension of the Roman pontiff dead a few months ago.

One among the most interesting elements, It is the reconstruction of the time elapsed since the renunciation act of Benedict XVI to the successive conclave. The author introduces the reader into the atmosphere that existed among the cardinals, Giving the book with it, A historical value; Because he documented precisely and rigorously the days that preceded the choice of Francisco. A meticulous work already done by the author in his last rich biographies historically of the 20th century pontiffs. Following this already consolidated style, with Francisco. The Pope of Mercy The author offers, A linear story of facts, elections, words and gestures.

Andrea Tornielli arouses a club element without which the realistic reading of a personality and a complex figure such as the man Jorge Mario Bergoglio would not be easy: Francisco is the first Pontiff ordered priest after the Second Vatican Council and for this reason; Unlike its four predecessors, Does not feel the need to defend or justify the last great assembly of the Church. For him, It is an element that constitutes an integral part of ecclesial living, that as such must be lived. This aspect deeply marks its pontificate: The council is no longer something that must be explained, or even, If it is necessary to justify how Benedict XVI had done several times, but a reality assumed and lived naturally.

Attention to several details is also paid of the life of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, After the Supreme Pontiff Francisco: paying attention to memories related to special commemoration dates, family situations, or even simple phrases said during previous meetings, or by making your interlocutors feel comfortable, creating a family atmosphere.

The descriptions remain faithful to the reality of the facts, without ever falling into those sensitive narrative artifice, so in vogue in current communication, When it is decided to exalt the true or presumed qualities of the "dear deceased". But it is precisely in this decisive and precise chronicle, the true strength of the Pope is glimpsed, highlighted by the author's insight: The ability to approach all, in particular who suffers or is in a moment of difficulty.

In the work some personal episodes of the author are also narrated, such as the disease and death of his parents and the constant closeness and interest of Pope Francis. Sign of a relationship that exceeded roles, manifesting and teaching that, When you want to be close to someone, No matter who are you or what position you have, Because if you want, You can always find the time for a simple gesture, as a phone call or a small text message.

In the pages of the writing, There are many other details that characterized the personality of the man Jorge Mario Bergoglio and the Pontiff Francisco: From the criticism of contemporary culture based on values ​​contrary to life already denounced precedently by the pontiffs John Paul II and Benedict XVI as "culture of death"; To continue with Francisco's references to the concept of "discard culture": abandoned elder dramas in a kind of silent euthanasia, The pain for abortions that "break the link with the future"; The "theory" of the genre contrary to natural data; or the exasperated environmentalism that sees man as a problem or virus that must be eliminated. For Pope Francis, on the contrary, The man remains administrator and custodian of creation, called to transform what he receives in living culture.

The theme of peace occupies a central place. For Francisco it is not enough to disarm the arsenales because «it happens before the “rescue”», that is to say the consciences of the culture of war that transforms people into numbers and instruments of power. The only antidote for this is mercy, able to restore dignity to man and meaning to his future.

There are no lack of controversial issues treated without filters, as the famous occurrence of the Pope who asked about Cardinals women: "Who wants it suffers some clericalism". In the same way, Francisco does not save to criticize Marxist ideology, describing it as "erroneous", although during his pontificate he has been repeatedly branded as a edge-marxist. The Holy Father did not stop replicating that the whole grass cannot be made, Having known good people who were Marxists, But while specifying how wrong it was ideology. Thus following the thought and pastoral lines of their predecessors Pius XII and Juan XXIII.

On several occasions, The book restores the image of a Pope-Pastor that leaves nothing without trying for those who feel lost, teaching even what the simple fact of looking for is already a step forward. The chronicles of travel and encounters demonstrate this conviction: Pope Francis always trusts others and gives themselves to them with confidence. The pages that narrate the encounters with the weak are particularly moving, The injured or the sick. The Holy Father has always talked to the heart: On many occasions as a result, above all, thank those who had waited for it for hours to listen and see it; that is to say those who had "welcomed him at home", while specifying on many occasions that he felt also enriched by the experience and the hope he had received as a gift of grace during these meetings.

In the reflections on the suffering of children, does not offer theoretical answers: The Pope cries, Share the pain, showing a Christian compassion that goes beyond any speech, Following the image of a Christ who suffered and cried on the cross in silence, or expressing only a few words. And this because you cannot always have an answer for everything such as the dramas of human suffering of life and death that remain partly wrapped by the mystery.

La Obra de Andrea Tornielli not only scholars of ecclesial issues may be interested, but to anyone who wishes to understand the meaning of a complex pontificate, already complicated to a large extent by the event that preceded the resignation of Benedict XVI; In addition to the delicate world geopolitical situation characterized by lords of dangerous open wars everywhere. The author thus restores the portrait of a man who has chosen to be close to people, With a pastoral and human style sometimes unusual for many, and even extravagant for others; But that has marked the contemporary history of the Church, generating appreciation in many and disorientation in others. However, If you think well, This is the story of all pontiffs, at least those who, more than for the schemes, They left that still mediocrity that tends to please everyone so as not to discontent anyone. Francisco has certainly discounted to many and, Maybe just this, enough not to make it a quiet mediocre, but in a very complex and complicated figure in its apparent simplicity. All this shows that man, Every man, It is still a mystery for the most part, Even the man Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Even the Supreme Pontiff Francisco. Then there are those who always have an answer for everything, But that's another issue, or to say it in another way ... Blessed!

4 September of 2025

 

 

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Dear Readers,
this magazine requires management costs that we have always faced only with your free offers. Those who wish to support our apostolic work can send us their contribution through the convenient and safe way PayPal by clicking below:

Or if you prefer you can use our
Bank account in the name of:
Editions The island of Patmos

n Agency. 59 From Rome – Vatican
Iban code:
IT74R0503403259000000301118
For international bank transfers:
Codice SWIFT:
BAPPIT21D21

If you make a bank transfer, send an email to the editorial staff, the bank does not provide your email and we will not be able to send you a thank you message:
isoladipatmos@gmail.com

We thank you for the support you wish to offer to our apostolic service.

The Fathers of the Island of Patmos

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