Alighiero Tondi

Alighiero Tondi (born May 27, 1908 in Rome , † September 25, 1984 in Reggio Emilia ) was a Catholic theologian. He gained notoriety by changing from a believing Jesuit to a well-known religious skeptic.

Life

Tondi became a member of the Jesuits at the age of 28 . He later worked as a lecturer in philosophy and theology at the Gregoriana and taught religious sciences. In April 1952 he resigned from the Jesuit order after 16 years, left the Catholic Church and became a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Italy. In the years 1957–1962 he worked at the Humboldt University in East Berlin , then again in Rome . The more knowledge Tondi gained due to his good access to Catholicism, the more this fed the doubts about this religion. He came to believe that the affluent endeavors to convince the poor that there is no way out of their ordeal because it is God's will. Religion therefore only benefits the wealthy to maintain power. Tondi thus became a supporter of communism and rationalism. He later turned away from communism. In the 1970s, Tondi returned to the bosom of the Catholic Church with his wife, who was also a communist. After the death of his wife he acted again as a priest; the planned book, with which he wanted to make up for his publications critical of the church in the 1950s, was no longer published due to his death.

Work (selection)

• Vatican and Neofascism (1959)
• The Secret Power of the Jesuits (1960)
• The Jesuits (1961)

Secondary literature

• Giacomo Martina, Storia della Compagnia di Gesù in Italia (1814–1983) (2003)
• Ernesto Balducci: Diari: 1945–1978. in: Storia, 37. , Morcelliana, Brescuia, 2009, p. 363.

Web links

• Literature by and about Alighiero Tondi in the catalog of the German National Library
• The rationalist . In: Time, May 5, 1952.
• Il gesuita in rosso . In: Avvenire, September 24, 2004.
• Il giornalista Andrea Galli racconta la vita di Padre Alighiero Tondi . In: Zenit, October 11, 2004.