Chiara Bonifazi Linda Bimbi A Faith in Human Rights Introduction by Luciana Castellina Chiara Bonifazi Linda Bimbi A Faith in Human Rights Introduction by Luciana Castellina Afterword by Sergio Poeta Fondazione Lelio e Lisli Basso ISSOCO © 2016 Via Della Dogana Vecchia n. 5 - 00186 Roma tel. 06/6879953 - fax 06/68307516 www.fondazionebasso.it -
[email protected] Front cover: 1966, pupils from the Colégio Helena Guerra in front of the school English translation by Ruth Taylor of the book by Chiara Bonifazi, Linda Bimbi. Una vita tante storie, Edizioni Gruppo Abele, Torino, 2015. Index 5 Introduction by Luciana Castellina 17 Foreword 23 I. The long journey towards rights 25 1. The background to the story 27 2. The true meaning of life 36 3. The tale of the communist nuns 51 4. The transition 61 5. Anonymity 69 6. Two opposite shores 84 7. The dawn of a new age 98 8. The thrill of the future 107 II. References 109 1. Community 114 2. Chronology 120 3. Historical background 133 4. Biographies. Linda’s encounters 157 5. Linda’s writings 159 Afterword, by Sergio Poeta 167 Bibliography 169 A story in images Introduction by Luciana Castellina When I first met LInda, I was totally unprepared. I mean that when I saw and heard her for the first time, I knew nothing about her, and we had never been introduced. And if I hadn’t happened to come across her again, and then got to know her properly, I wouldn’t even have remembered that fleeting encoun- ter years before.