In Cattolica, the memory of Franco Anelli, jurist and rector

In the history of academic institutions, some professors leave a more pronounced mark than others in the course of their activities. These marks are not only in the purely scientific sphere, but sometimes they also manage to influence the lives of the men and women who have shared with them an important part of their growth. For this reason, they are considered masters. Prof. Anelli is certainly among them. I deliberately use the present tense, because his legacy is still an indispensable source of inspiration and study and the famous proof of this is the Handbook of Private Law, which he has constantly updated and edited with other illustrious colleagues - including Prof. Granelli here present - that will continue to educate many generations of students. It is, therefore, a precious legacy

The time and passion he devoted to the manual, despite the thousands of commitments that absorbed him, bear witness to how his genius, combined with intellectual curiosity and constant striving for knowledge and culture, were distinctive traits of his personality and professionalism. Traits that always led him to take an active part in civil law scientific societies, contributing significantly to the progress of the discipline, as Prof. Tenella Sillani will tell us. A subject, civil law, that Prof. Anelli knew how to live and practise fully, without limiting himself to theory, but enriching it with his legal practice. He did so in his dual capacity as lawyer and arbitrator, as attested by lawyers Lombardi and Mariconda, who were able to appreciate the competence, lucidity and rigour with which he tackled every dispute.

Rector Anelli has also left an important mark on the history of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. I was struck by what Prof. Natalino Irti wrote when, in the pages of Il Sole 24 ore (25 May 2024), he described him as a 'guarantor of wisdom and unifying balance'. I believe this is a fitting appreciation, especially for the Rector of a university as articulate as ours. In the twelve years of his rectorate, he has been able to manage the present, while keeping an eye on the future of our university, aware of the importance of knowing how to find a balance and synthesis between different positions on complex issues. A style that he has brought, with elegance and subtle irony, even to the rectors' conferences, including that of the Lombardy universities, as Prof. Franzini will tell us.

Nei giorni scorsi, pensando a questa giornata, mi ha emozionato rileggere alcuni suoi interventi. Mi ha sempre profondamente colpito l’insistenza che poneva sull’importanza dell’indipendenza di pensiero. Sottolineava spesso che il compito di chi deve educare è sì quello di trasmettere concetti e nozioni, ma principalmente l’educatore deve fornire gli strumenti – cito – «per quella costruzione personale del proprio spessore intellettuale che consenta di essere capaci di pensiero profondo e indipendente» (intervista al Corriere della Sera, 1 agosto 2021). Il prof. Anelli credeva fermamente in questa missione in capo ai docenti. Era consapevole del fatto che aiutare le studentesse e gli studenti a crearsi uno spessore intellettuale autonomo non è un compito semplice. Ma insisteva giustamente nel sottolineare tale aspetto, perché impegnarsi nella sua realizzazione è in fondo il tratto distintivo di una università libera come vuole essere, ed è, l’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

If his contributions to the Handbook of Private Law are therefore the most tangible legacy for the younger generations, present and future, the call to educate free citizens, capable of adequate critical thinking, ready to overcome the stereotypes that each era creates and disseminates is then the legacy he leaves to each of us teachers.

In opening this greeting, while thanking the speakers, I said that the speeches we are going to hear are the first building blocks for the construction of a living memory of Prof. Anelli. Today's is therefore a first occasion, which will be followed by others - also in 'his' Piacenza - because the university family remembers him today, and will always remember him with deep affection and esteem. Thank you.