At a recent public event in Rome featuring Pope Francis, the editorial director of Volocom, Andrea Franchini, shared with him a recent volume on religious extremism published his organization entitled “Un Dio senza eserciti: L’intolleranza minaccia la fede” (A God Without Armies: Intolerance Threatens Faith). The collection of essays examines examines the nature of religious conflicts, disambiguating causes that may have roots in political interests seeking to instrumentalize religious institutions for their own ends. The book’s ultimate call to action is for government and civil society organizations to create structures for dialogue and constructive confrontation as a means to temper the flames of fanaticism.
Volocom is a media consulting firm founded in 2001, helping institutions and companies navigate the ever-growing stream of information online through machine-assisted (but ultimately human-controlled) media analysis. The company has grown by over 50% since 2020. The Volocom Institute for Strategic studies is a think tank tackling a broad range of issues in civil society, from religion to women’s rights.
Formerly the director of the Telegrafo di Livorno and co-director of the Giorno newspaper, Andrean Franchini’s career in journalism and media stretches back to 1973. He has also contributed to the launch of over 200 publications in Italy over his career.
