Seminar and visit in Rome; Pope controversy

art.protest

I was in Rome to give a talk at the Interdepartmental Seminar on Algorithmics of the Departments of Computer and System Sciences (DIS) and Computer Science (DI) of the Sapienza University of Rome, and also to visit Guido Caldarelli in the Department of Physics. It was a bit strange to walk through the campus and buildings where I studied 20 years ago (and got my “laurea” in Physics in 1990). Even more strange was to be there at a time when the University and the Physics Department in particular were at the center of the national controversy surrounding the canceled visit by the Pope. I signed the letter (English) to the Italian President and the Sapienza Rector expressing solidarity to my former professors, under moral lynching for having expressed their opinion against an inappropriate, insensitive, and offensive invitation.