At Villa Butera the presentation of the book: “Once upon a time there was DC”
by Elio Sanfilippo
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.
Will be presented Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at the “Borremans” hall of Villa Butera the volume by Elio Sanfilippo entitled: “Once upon a time there was the DC” a history between church, people and mafia (Navarra Editore/Area Navarra, pp, 208).
The presentation, which will begin at 5:30 p.m., will be attended for institutional greetings by Bagheria Mayor Filippo Maria Tripoli and Daniele Vella deputy mayor and councillor for Culture.
Speaking in the presence of the author will be Rino La Placa president association of former deputies of ARS and Vito Lo Monaco honorary president Centro Studi Pio La Torre.
The history of our country and Sicily in particular is deeply intertwined with that of the Christian Democracy,” reads the synopsis of the book. “Restoring to this party the place it deserves in our memory is not only a dutiful recognition of its role but also a contribution to restoring a historical truth that many have sought to mystify. The so-called First Republic, of which the DC was a protagonist, is in fact often presented as a heap of nefariousness, corruption and the Mafia. These were all degenerative forms which, yes, played a significant role, but which were components of a project inspired by the values of social Catholicism, the improvement of the living conditions of weaker areas, and the principles of freedom and secularism. Prominent personalities, from De Gasperi to Aldo Moro, from Luigi Sturzo to Piersanti Mattarella, as well as many pastors and political leaders, ignored by most, left an indelible imprint on this path. How was it possible that a party with a Christian-inspired background, heir to Sturzo’s politics, with a clear anti-Mafia profile and commitment, could in some of its parts collude with and favor Mafia power?
Elio Sanfilippo (Licata, 1949) has been active in politics since his youth. He was secretary of the Palermo PCI federation in 1981-when Pio La Torre was regional secretary-and a member of the central committee until its dissolution. He was president of Legacoop Sicilia and national vice president with delegated responsibility for the problems of the Mezzogiorno. He has given cycles of lectures at the Universities of Messina and Palermo. Among his most recent publications: Why Pio La Torre Was Killed, with N. Caleca (Istituto Poligrafi co Europeo-Casa Editrice 2012); Mafia and Red Coops. Mysteries, intrigues and deception with N. Caleca (Istituto Poligrafico Europeo-Casa Editrice 2014); Michele Sala. Story of a revolutionary from Altofonte (2021). For Navarra Editore he has already published Mafia without honor, with M. Scaglione (2022) and Il grande abbaglio. Peppino Impastato and the PCI (2022).
