Riccardi Andrea

Historian, Founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio

[Italy - 1950]

An Italian historian, internationally known as a scholar of the Church in modern and contemporary times, he founded the Community of Sant'Egidio in 1968. He was Minister for International Cooperation and Integration from 2011 to 2013. With a legal background, he began his university career at a very young age. He has taught in Bari and Rome. Several universities have honoured him with honorary degrees for his work in favour of peace and dialogue. He has played a mediating role in several conflicts and has contributed to peace in a number of countries, including Mozambique, Guatemala, Ivory Coast and Guinea. For this commitment to peace, he has been awarded numerous international prizes. The most prestigious is certainly the Karlspreis, Charlemagne Prize, awarded to him in 2009. Since 2015 he has been President of the Dante Alighieri Society. Among his most recent publications: Choosing for Peace, Meditations between Bible and History (2022) and The Cry for Peace (2023).

[2024]