The book aims at delving into the relationships of the Secretary general of the World Council of Churches (WCC), W. A. Visser ’t Hooft, with the European Resistance movements, as well as at defining his contribution to the elaboration and the circulation of ecumenical and federalist ideas for the unity of Europe.

Filippo Maria Giordano was awarded as PhD in the history of federalism and European unity by the University of Pavia in 2009. He has been working as a researcher at the Centre for Studies on Federalism (Moncalieri) since 2006. He is a research fellow at the Scuola superiore di studi universitari e di perfezionamento Sant'Anna, where he is carrying out research on the relationship between religions and regional supernational integration processes. Stefano Dell’Acqua studied Humanities at the University of Pavia. Since 2001, he has been carrying out research for a PhD on institutions, ideas and political movements in contemporary Europe and the history of federalism and European unification. He is currently employed as a secondary school teacher. His research interests include the theory and history of European integration historiography (particularly the German historian Walter Lipgens) and federal viewpoints among the German Resistance and Italian Protestants.

«Auch wenn die Anordnung der einzelnen Beiträge zuweilen etwas verwirrend erscheint, eröffnet der Band weite Perspektiven auf einen geistigen Begriff von Europa. Er zeigt in beeindruckender Weise die Verwobenheit zweier prägender Bewegungen des 20. Jh.s, die in aktueller Wahrnehmung wenig verbunden erscheinen. Die Beiträge lassen ein Panorama unterschiedlichster Persönlichkeiten entstehen, für das die Person Willem Visser ‘t Hoofts mehr Ansatzpunkt als durchgängiges Thema ist. In einer Zeit, in der sowohl die Ökumenische Bewegung als auch die Einigung Europas neuer Orientierungen bedarf, kann in diesem Buch eine Selbstvergewisserung im besten Sinn gefunden werden.» (Rainer Florie, Theologische Revue 3/2017)

Leseprobe

Contents: Hans Küng: Preface – Filippo Maria Giordano/Stefano Dell’Acqua: Introduction – Franco Giampiccoli: Willem Adolph Visser ’t Hooft – Barbara Henry: – Lucio Levi: Global Ethics and World Federalism – Paolo Ricca: The Ecumenical Movement between the Two World Wars and the Birth of the World Council of Churches – Mario Miegge († ): Le renouveau du protestantisme en Europe – Umberto Morelli: From the Criticism of the League of Nations to the Project of a New Europe – Corrado Malandrino : Critique de la souveraineté nationale et fédéralisme communicatif – Sonia Castro: Geneva between Cosmopolitanism, Resistance Movements and Federalism – Andrea Bosco: Federal Union et la tentative d’apporter la bataille fédéraliste sur le continent – Antonella Braga: The 1944 Meetings at the House of Willem Adolph Visser ’t Hooft – Paolo Caraffini : La contribution française à la Déclaration fédéraliste internationale des mouvements de Résistance – Stefano Dell’Acqua: A Protestant and Political Solidarity – Filippo Maria Giordano: W. A. Visser ’t Hooft between Ecumenism and Federalism. The Idea of European Unity – Giorgio Bouchard: Protestants, Ecumenical Perspectives and Federalism – Stefano Dell’Acqua: Plans of Christian Churches and Groups on the Future of Europe in by Walter Lipgens – Filippo Maria Giordano : La Contribution des vaudois au fédéralisme européen – Debora Spini: Ecumenism and the Construction of the European Union – Caspar Visser ’t Hooft: My Grandfather.