Elisabetta Basile
Elisabetta Basile, a former Full Professor of Development Economics at the University of Rome La Sapienza (Department of Economics and Law), retired in 2019.
Safiria Leccese
Born in Gaeta, in the province of Latina, after graduating in Law from LUISS, she began her journalistic career with the Roman television network GBR. In 1997 she joined the editorial staff of Studio Aperto on Italia 1, becoming one of its most recognized faces, and since September 1999 she has been registered as a professional with the Order of Journalists of Lazio.
In 2011 she was invited by the Vatican Television Center to host the live worldwide broadcast of the vigil for the canonization of Pope John Paul II. In November 2011 she left Studio Aperto to join the new Mediaset network TgCom24. Since April 2015 she has been the host of the program La strada dei miracoli, aired in prime time on Rete 4. The program began in April 2015 with 8 episodes, and after its notable success had a second season in November and December 2015, continuing with two new specials, a third season starting January 19, 2016, and a summer edition beginning June 21, 2016.
She has written and published: La strada dei miracoli, Piemme Edizioni, 2015, and La ricchezza del bene. Storie di imprenditori fra anima e business, Terra Santa, 2020.
She has received several awards, including the Città di Roma Award in 2015 and the Torre d’Argento Award in 2016 for the program La strada dei miracoli.
Suor Alessandra Smerilli
Sister Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, a religious of the Salesian tradition, was born in Vasto (Chieti) in 1974. She earned a PhD in Political Economy from La Sapienza University of Rome and a PhD in Economics from the University of East Anglia (UK).
Author of several books and articles, she writes for Catholic newspapers and is often a guest on television and radio programs. Since 2014 she has been Full Professor of Economics at PFSE-Auxilium, a pontifical university in Rome, and she also teaches at the Pontifical Lateran University.
She is the founder and a member of the Scientific Committee of the School of Civil Economy, a member of the National Council of the Third Sector and of the Scientific and Organizing Committee of the Social Weeks of Catholics, promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). She is also a member of various ethics committees and of the Permanent Women's Consultation Group of the Holy See, established by the Pontifical Council for Culture.
In 2019, Sister Alessandra was appointed by Pope Francis as Councilor of Vatican City State, the first woman in history to hold this position. She currently serves at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development as interim Secretary, and she also leads the Vatican Covid-19 Commission, established by Pope Francis in March 2020.
Francesca DiMaolo
Born in Spoleto on September 7, 1970, and residing in Assisi, Francesca Di Maolo is a labor lawyer. Since 2013 she has been President of the Serafico Institute for the Deaf and Blind, which carries out rehabilitation, diagnosis, and treatment activities for children and young people with physical, psychological, and sensory disabilities, as an institution accredited and affiliated with the Italian National Health Service (SSN).
She graduated in Law from the University of Perugia on October 19, 1995, with a thesis in Labor Law entitled La prassi aziendale (“Company Practices”), and obtained a specialization (after a three-year program) at the School of Specialization in Labor, Trade Union and Social Security Law at the University of Macerata, with a thesis entitled La tutela sociale minimale (“Minimal Social Protection”). In 2021 she attended and successfully completed the managerial training course for General Directors of Local Health Authorities, Hospitals, and other entities of the SSN.
From 2004 to 2009 she was lecturer in Comparative Labor Law at the University of Macerata, Faculty of Humanities, in the degree course in Linguistic Mediation Sciences. From 2006 to 2013 she taught The Sources of Labor Law at the University of Perugia, in the degree course in Legal Services Sciences. She also taught Labor Law at the Lorenzo Migliorini School of Legal Professions. From 2006 to 2013 she was adjunct professor in the training services of Confindustria Umbria.
She serves as Consultant to the National Office for Health Care Ministry of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI); Member of the planning office for Health Care Ministry of the CEI; President of ARIS Umbria Region and Council Member of the National ARIS (Religious Association of Social-Health Institutes); Director of the Giuseppe Toniolo School of Social-Political Training; and Director of the Office for Social Issues and Work of the Diocese of Assisi. She has published extensively in specialized journals.
Padre Giulio Albanese
Father Giulio Albanese was born in Rome on March 12, 1959. He is an Italian missionary and journalist and belongs to the Congregation of the Comboni Missionaries. A priest since 1986, he directed the New People Media Centre in Nairobi and in 1997 founded the Missionary Service News Agency, later renamed Missionary International Service News Agency.
He collaborates with various newspapers and media outlets on topics related to Africa and the Global South, including Avvenire, Città Nuova, Messaggero di Sant’Antonio, Italia-Caritas, Vatican Radio, Swiss Radio, and Giornale Radio Rai. From February 2007 to June 2014, he taught Missionary/Alternative Journalism at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and until 2019 he was director of the missionary magazines of the Pontifical Mission Societies. Since January 2018 he has also been editor-in-chief of the magazine Amici di Follereau.
In addition, he is a member of the Committee for Charitable Interventions in Favor of the Third World Countries of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). Since March 2019, he has been a columnist for L’Osservatore Romano. He is also the author of several essays on geopolitics, journalism, and missionary theology.
In July 2003, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi awarded him the title of Grand Officer of the Italian Republic. Over the years he has won 19 journalism prizes and 4 literary awards.
Benjamin Martin
Ben Martin is a young layman who lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife Amelja and their two sons, Peter and James. He works as Vice President for Investment Operations at Atlantic Merchant Capital Investors, a private investment bank in Tampa. In addition, he serves on the board of the Martin Family Foundation, which supports Catholic education, pro-life initiatives, and other works of mercy.
He is Vice President for Evangelization of Caritas in Veritate International, a U.S.-based confederation of more than 60 charitable organizations worldwide. Ben studied philosophy at Boston College and Loyola University Chicago, spending several summers in Rome and extended time in Assisi. He has written extensively on ethics, ecumenism, ecclesiology, and synodality.
The Bishop of St. Petersburg (Florida) recently appointed Ben as a member of the diocesan committee advancing the synodal process at the local level.