Il cattolicesimo di Agostino Gemelli e il retaggio delle esperienze pavesi

The intellectual and spiritual journey of Edoardo Gemelli in Pavia, within the different yet complementary environments of the University, the Ghislieri College, and the diocesan Seminary, is the focus of a recent study by Luciano Pazzaglia. The essay explores the path that, in the early years of the Twentieth Century, led the young socialist to a conversion that caused a stir in the intellectual circles of Lombardy. The contribution offers some reflections on Father Agostino’s commitment to the spread of Catholicism, one that could speak to the ruling classes at a time when they were often permeated with anticlericalism. The founder of the Catholic University of the Sacred Hearth in Milan and the journal Vita e Pensiero, Father Gemelli from then on promoted an integrated vision of faith and culture. In conclusion, some hypotheses are put forward regarding the influence that the experiences lived in Pavia may have had in shaping his organisational and cultural approach.