Centesimus Annus, Globalization, and World Poverty
October 19, 2006
Urbanianum Pontifical University
Speakers:
In the Press:
- “Lord Brian Griffiths of Goldman Sachs on Globalization” by Viktoria Somogyi, Catholic Online, 2006-11-17
- “The Sandinistas' Impact on Nicaragua” by Viktoria Somogyi, Zenit News Agency, 2006-11-05
- “Development and Globalization” by Lord Brian Griffiths and Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican Radio, 2006-10-24
- “Intervista” (Italiano) by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican Radio, 2006-10-22
Lord Brian Griffiths of Fforestfach was born in 1941 in Wales and educated at the London School of Economics. He was a lecturer in economics at the LSE from 1965-76, and appointed professor of banking banking and Director of Centre, Banking and International Finance at the City University of London in 1977. He was also Dean of the Business School at the City University. He served as a director of the Bank of England from 1985-1986. He also served as Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and as Special Adviser to The Rt Hon. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher MP between 1985-90. He was made a life peer in 1991 and has served as Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs International since 1991. He has been a director on several company boards. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including The Creation of Wealth (1984) and Morality and the Market Place (1989). He is also an active member of the Church of England and the Conservative Christian fellowship.
Humberto P. Belli was raised and born in Nicaragua. He studied law in Spain and later obtained a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. In his youth he was a Marxist and a active collaborator of the Sandinistas guerrillas who later overthrew the Somoza regime. Disenchanted with radical politics he converted to Christianity just at the time that liberation theology was playing a prominent role in the Nicaraguan revolution. Belli became a very vocal critic of the Christian left positions and became opinion page editor of the only independent newspaper in the country. He had to flee Nicaragua in 1982 as a political refugee and lived and taught Sociology in the United States until President Chamorro defeated the Sandinista in the 1990 elections. Belli then became minister of education for more than eight years where he made reforms to allow parents play a decisive role in the ruling of the public schools. Since 1999 he is president of Ave Maria College of the Americas, an American based university that operates in Nicaragua.
Most Reverend Silvano M. Tomasi was born in Casoni (Province of Vicenza) in 1940. His formative education was both in Italy and in New York, where he studied theology and in 1965 was ordained a priest for the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles Scalabrinians. He holds a masters' degree and a doctorate in sociology from Fordham University. Since his ordination, Archbishop Tomasi has held many important positions. He served as Provincial Superior and Vicar General of the Congregation of Scalabrinian Missionaries, Director of the office of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees (PCMR), he was part of official missions of Bishops to Haiti, Sudan, Kenya, Thailand, Cambodia, and Philippines, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, he participated in delegations of the Holy See to multilateral conferences, he served as liaison between the Holy See and the International Catholic Migration Commission (Geneva), he also served as Apostolic Nuncio to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and as Observer to the African Union. He has written articles and monographs published both in the United States and Italy, and has been honored by the Italian Government with the title of Commander of the Republic. In September 2003, Archbishop Tomasi began as service as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Organizations in Geneva and to the World Trade Organization.
