VOLUME 3 |NUMBER 2 |2012 31
sensitization of the Regional Council
since 2005. Approval of the recent law
in Friuli Venezia Giulia has been quite
a positive result for the association,
which in turn has spent much effort
and energy in informing the Regional
Counselors and coordinating the
interventions of experts. The
association has started a new
initiative recently with the publication
of an e-journal on abuse and
psychological abuse that is available
at the following Web site:
//www.abusievessazioni.it/
The e-journal, with its three annual
issues per year, was registered at the
Court of Udine in April 2012 as an
international review. The first issue,
with articles about cults and
psychological abuses in groups, has
been published with the translation
into Italian of several articles
originally written in English. The
second issue will be published in late
September and will include articles
about manipulation in working
environments. Anyone interested in
sending articles, either originals or
reprints, is invited to send them to the
organization at the following address:
http://www.sosabusipsicologici.it/
index.php/it/
Another project involving SOS Abusi
Psicologici and EXIT scs onlus,
through the president of the social
cooperative, Cristina Caparesi, is
active participation in a working
group of the European Commission,
started by Mrs. Cecilia Malmström.
The working group, which combines
associations coming from all parts of
Europe, had its first meeting in
Stockholm on June 3 through 5. The
purpose of this network, in the words
of Mrs. Malmström, is as follows:
All over Europe there are field
workers, researchers, teachers,
community leaders, religious and
youth leaders who are working to
try to identify and help individuals
that risk becoming radicalized and
committing violent acts. Today we
are connecting these people in a
European network. The network
will share methods and
experiences but also assist the
Commission and Member States
in preventing terrorism.
(http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/
malmstrom/radicalisation-network/)
As the first association to be invited to
participate in a working group of the
European Commission, SOS Abusi
Psicologici has taken charge of
forming an Italian network of
associations working in this field.
The Office for Ecumenism and
Interreligious Dialogue of the
Vicariate of Rome, together with
the Superior Institute of Religious
Sciences Ecclesia Mater and the
Office for the School Pastoral and IRC
(teaching of the Catholic religion in
schools), directed by professor don
Alessandro Pennesi, offered a
seminar on New Religious
Movements for pastoral workers,
which took place from the 21st to the
26th of July. The agenda for the
course, sponsored by GRIS and
Associazione Comunità Papa
Giovanni XXIII, is available at
http://www.abusievessazioni.it/
wp-content/uploads/2012/05/
depliant-residenziale-22_2_2012.pdf
Among the teachers are two ICSA
members: the educator and family
mediator Cristina Caparesi, who
presented a workshop on how to set
up Help desks for victims of
manipulative groups, including
developing exercises for enhancing
self-reflection to help individuals to
form a right attitude toward the
problem and Professor Don
Alessandro Pennesi, who has
directed the initiative and drawn
conclusions about the 4 days’
experience. He also has established
objectives for an upcoming event,
which will be hosted by SOS Abusi
Venezia Giulia in Friuli Venezia Giulia
in November. Participants greatly
appreciated the seminar.
Information Available Through
the Media
On February 29, 2012, Raffaella Di
Marzio took part in a well-known
national broadcast, “Gli Intoccabili,”
on national TV channel LA7, during
which the case of a cult inside the
Catholic Church was discussed. The
subject of the broadcast was “The
Catholic Church and Cults” and the
“cult phenomenon” in Italy. You can
see the broadcast at the following
URLs: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=xYyR9uPzSF0&feature=g-
upl and http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=oLOSoAjTcgs&feature=g-upl
Other News
The Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith has published a document
about guidelines for understanding
presumed revelations and
apparitions (December 14th, 2011.
Vatican. See http://www.vatican.va/
roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/
documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_2011
1214_prefazione-levada_it.html).
Italy Enters into Concordates with
Mormons, Apostolic Pentecostals,
and an Orthodox Church. The Italian
Senate approved on July 18, 2012, a
system of concordats called “Intese”
with the Mormon Church, the Italian
Apostolic Church—a Pentecostal
body that traces its origins to the
Welsh revival, and the Orthodox
Church loyal to the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. The Intese, or
agreements, were signed by the
President of the Republic on July 30,
2012, and subsequently published
in Italy’s Official Gazette, thus
becoming law and concluding a
long process. ■
Correspondents’Reports
sensitization of the Regional Council
since 2005. Approval of the recent law
in Friuli Venezia Giulia has been quite
a positive result for the association,
which in turn has spent much effort
and energy in informing the Regional
Counselors and coordinating the
interventions of experts. The
association has started a new
initiative recently with the publication
of an e-journal on abuse and
psychological abuse that is available
at the following Web site:
//www.abusievessazioni.it/
The e-journal, with its three annual
issues per year, was registered at the
Court of Udine in April 2012 as an
international review. The first issue,
with articles about cults and
psychological abuses in groups, has
been published with the translation
into Italian of several articles
originally written in English. The
second issue will be published in late
September and will include articles
about manipulation in working
environments. Anyone interested in
sending articles, either originals or
reprints, is invited to send them to the
organization at the following address:
http://www.sosabusipsicologici.it/
index.php/it/
Another project involving SOS Abusi
Psicologici and EXIT scs onlus,
through the president of the social
cooperative, Cristina Caparesi, is
active participation in a working
group of the European Commission,
started by Mrs. Cecilia Malmström.
The working group, which combines
associations coming from all parts of
Europe, had its first meeting in
Stockholm on June 3 through 5. The
purpose of this network, in the words
of Mrs. Malmström, is as follows:
All over Europe there are field
workers, researchers, teachers,
community leaders, religious and
youth leaders who are working to
try to identify and help individuals
that risk becoming radicalized and
committing violent acts. Today we
are connecting these people in a
European network. The network
will share methods and
experiences but also assist the
Commission and Member States
in preventing terrorism.
(http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/
malmstrom/radicalisation-network/)
As the first association to be invited to
participate in a working group of the
European Commission, SOS Abusi
Psicologici has taken charge of
forming an Italian network of
associations working in this field.
The Office for Ecumenism and
Interreligious Dialogue of the
Vicariate of Rome, together with
the Superior Institute of Religious
Sciences Ecclesia Mater and the
Office for the School Pastoral and IRC
(teaching of the Catholic religion in
schools), directed by professor don
Alessandro Pennesi, offered a
seminar on New Religious
Movements for pastoral workers,
which took place from the 21st to the
26th of July. The agenda for the
course, sponsored by GRIS and
Associazione Comunità Papa
Giovanni XXIII, is available at
http://www.abusievessazioni.it/
wp-content/uploads/2012/05/
depliant-residenziale-22_2_2012.pdf
Among the teachers are two ICSA
members: the educator and family
mediator Cristina Caparesi, who
presented a workshop on how to set
up Help desks for victims of
manipulative groups, including
developing exercises for enhancing
self-reflection to help individuals to
form a right attitude toward the
problem and Professor Don
Alessandro Pennesi, who has
directed the initiative and drawn
conclusions about the 4 days’
experience. He also has established
objectives for an upcoming event,
which will be hosted by SOS Abusi
Venezia Giulia in Friuli Venezia Giulia
in November. Participants greatly
appreciated the seminar.
Information Available Through
the Media
On February 29, 2012, Raffaella Di
Marzio took part in a well-known
national broadcast, “Gli Intoccabili,”
on national TV channel LA7, during
which the case of a cult inside the
Catholic Church was discussed. The
subject of the broadcast was “The
Catholic Church and Cults” and the
“cult phenomenon” in Italy. You can
see the broadcast at the following
URLs: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=xYyR9uPzSF0&feature=g-
upl and http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=oLOSoAjTcgs&feature=g-upl
Other News
The Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith has published a document
about guidelines for understanding
presumed revelations and
apparitions (December 14th, 2011.
Vatican. See http://www.vatican.va/
roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/
documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_2011
1214_prefazione-levada_it.html).
Italy Enters into Concordates with
Mormons, Apostolic Pentecostals,
and an Orthodox Church. The Italian
Senate approved on July 18, 2012, a
system of concordats called “Intese”
with the Mormon Church, the Italian
Apostolic Church—a Pentecostal
body that traces its origins to the
Welsh revival, and the Orthodox
Church loyal to the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. The Intese, or
agreements, were signed by the
President of the Republic on July 30,
2012, and subsequently published
in Italy’s Official Gazette, thus
becoming law and concluding a
long process. ■
Correspondents’Reports
