According to an article by Beatrice D’Ascenzi, published by Vatican News, over 1,300 Esperantists from 69 nations met in Turin, Italy for the 108th World Esperanto Congress. Over the seven days, scholars and enthusiasts focused their discussions on the theme Immigration and the Confluence of Human Values, the Inclusive Experience of Turin.
Two books were offered to participants during the conference: Pope Francis’ I Am I, Do Not Be Afraid. The second was Carmelite Fernando Millán’s Truth in Love: The Life of St. Titus Brandsma, Carmelite. Fr. Fernando was prior general of the Carmelite Order from 2007-2019 and is considered one of the top experts on the life of St. Titus. He was vice postulator for the cause of St. Titus as well.
The saint from the Netherlands was a major promoter of the Esperanto language. He is now considered the patron saint of the Catholic Esperantists. He participated in several of the international congresses and was a member of the Commission for the Ecclesiastical Dictionary of Esperanto. The language facilitated Brandsma’s desire to build community among all the people.
The language, developed by Polish linguist Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof in the second half of the 19th century, is estimated to have a worldwide following in at least 120 countries. It is considered the language of peace as it stresses equality and communion among people brought together by the language. Esperanto was created in order to establish a dialogue between various populations, trying to overcome hostilities and conflicts. Esperanto’s creator, felt that many misunderstandings were the result of linguistic difficulties. Zamenhor wished to solve this by creating a universal idiom, belonging to humanity and not to a single people. This would not only impact inter-personal relationships but political and culture connections.
According to the enthusiasts the artificial language of Esperanto is experiencing a rebirth 150 years after its development. Esperanto associations and the number of enthusiasts on the Internet continues to grow. According to experts, the digital age of communications has been a major plus for the growth in the number of people speaking the language. The simplicity of the language allows people to achieve a satisfactory proficiency in less time than any of the ethnic languages.
With this in mind, the recent world congress in Piedmont was the central event of the year for scholars and enthusiasts, who over the seven days of the event were able to reflect together on an extremely timely topic, "Immigration and the confluence of human values, the inclusive experience of Turin." Inclusive like the practice of Esperanto, which has in its DNA the will to establish a dialogue between different populations, trying to overcome hostilities and conflicts - fueled, according to the creator, also by linguistic misunderstandings - through the use of a universal idiom, belonging to humanity and not to a single people.
In fact, since its inception, Esperanto functioned through with wars and conflicts that have severely tested its scholars, who are culturally inclined to dialogue. However, these are often victims of discrimination and persecution in these situations because of their ability to receive information outside the official channels.
According to the experts, the social changes that followed the conflicts of the last century gradually consigned the national idioms of smaller countries with fewer resources into oblivion. This inevitably forced the inhabitants of these states to have to use the languages of the dominant countries, a practice strongly by Esperantists. Esperanto represents a supranational and neutral idiom, allowing all groups to connect and exchange information without discrimination, but rather protecting idioms considered "minor," otherwise doomed to extinction by the languages of stronger nations.
The flag of Esperanto, the verda stelo, sums up the Esperanto philosophy. The verda stelo is formed by a green background with a white box in the upper left corner with a centered, green 5-pointed star, representing the five inhabited continents. The green color also indicates hope for a better future, while white represents neutrality and peace.
Catholic Esperantists have always maintained a deep-rooted connection with Catholicism. In fact, a separate program for the Catholic Esperantists was offered during the Turin congress, led by President Marija Belošević. The connection, that began as early as the early 1900s and was consolidated after World War II, when Pius XII at a general audience in 1950 welcomed the Esperantists who had come to meet him in their own language. In 1966, two years after Paul VI publicly recognized the importance of the Catholic Esperanto movement and the usefulness of the language, Esperanto was officially recognized as a language in which it is possible to celebrate Mass and pray. Since that time, on the occasion of the Urbi et Orbi blessing on Christmas and Easter Sunday, the pope has occasionally offered greetings in Esperanto. Some of Vatican Radio’s programs are broadcast in the language as well.
