杏MAP导航

By Joseph Tulloch

The Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni is best known in the English-speaking world for his 1997 film Life is Beautiful, which won three Oscars.

But, in his native country, he鈥檚 just as famous for his monologues, which blend his trademark exuberance and humour with commentary on politics and literature.

All of these classic elements were present in the monologue Benigni delivered to a packed St Peter鈥檚 Square on Sunday, following Mass for the first World Children鈥檚 Day.

Benigni speaks with the 杏MAP导航 in St Peter's Square   (Vatican Media)

The Italian actor addressed the 杏MAP导航 鈥� and the thousands of children who had gathered in the square 鈥� on subjects ranging from dreams and fairytales to doubt, war, and Jesus鈥� Sermon on the Mount.

Below are a few excerpts from his speech.

Dreams

"I can see you here, full of dreams. You can feel this buzzing, a hive of dreams, a swarm 鈥�. Dream! It鈥檚 the most beautiful thing in the world. But I want to tell you a secret. You鈥檒l tell me you know how to dream, you鈥檒l say you just have to close your eyes, sleep, and dream. 鈥� No, no. I鈥檒l tell you a secret 鈥� to dream, you don鈥檛 have to close your eyes. You have to open them! You have to open your eyes, read, write, invent."

Fairytales

鈥淜ids have to read everything. All the fairytales, which are so important! You鈥檒l ask me, what鈥檚 the point of fairytales, with the princesses, the orcs, the dragons? No, fairytales don鈥檛 tell children that dragons exist 鈥� they already know that! Fairytales teach children that dragons can be defeated.鈥�

Benigni and the 杏MAP导航 embrace at the beginning of his monologue

Difficulties

鈥淒o difficult things 鈥� the more difficult they are, the better! When you say: 鈥業 can鈥檛 manage this; it鈥檚 too hard鈥�, that鈥檚 what you have to do! Difficult things. And if you mess up, don鈥檛 worry! You make mistakes? It鈥檚 fine 鈥� make a mistake and then make a mistake again, try and try again. Mistakes are necessary, useful, and sometimes beautiful 鈥� for example, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. What a beautiful mistake!鈥�

Doubts

鈥淚 know that you鈥檙e still small, you鈥檙e at that age when you don鈥檛 know what to do, you have a lot of doubts, but don鈥檛 worry 鈥� you鈥檒l grow up, and then you鈥檒l have even more! When I was little, my mum told me 鈥楻obertino, learn things now, because when you grow up you won鈥檛 understand anything anymore.鈥� She was right 鈥� but it鈥檚 ok. Don鈥檛 trust people who tell you: 鈥楤e sure, stick to your path鈥�. No! The opposite: you have to be unsure. The more unsure, indecisive, skeptical, and doubtful you are, the more doubts you have, the better. Certainties are nice, but uncertainty is nicer.鈥�

St Peter's Square during the event   (Vatican Media)

The Sermon on the Mount

鈥淚n life, people give a lot of advice. But I can honestly say: the only sensible thing I鈥檝e ever heard in my entire life, do you know who I heard it from? From Jesus. In the Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus 鈥� it鈥檚 enchanting, so beautiful, a beauty you can鈥檛 resist 鈥� when Jesus gives these lists we have to memorise. Blessed are the humble, the peacemakers, the merciful 鈥� Exactly, blessed are the merciful, that is to say, taking care of others鈥� pain, being sensitive, forgiving. Basically, being profoundly good. That鈥檚 what Jesus said, and I tell you, it seems to me to be the only sensible thing I鈥檝e ever heard in my entire life, the only good idea that鈥檚 ever been expressed in human history.鈥�

War

鈥淲e know that, very often, the world is governed by people who don鈥檛 know what mercy is, what love is, people who commit the most serious and most stupid of sins: war 鈥� What we say can become true; the big problem is finding the right words, the words that make things come true. For example, nobody has yet found the right word, the magic word, to put an end to war, like 鈥榦pen sesame鈥�, 鈥榮top war鈥�, and the war stops. We haven鈥檛 found it 鈥� we haven鈥檛 managed it. But look 鈥� that word exists. I鈥檓 sure that, among you, there鈥檚 someone who will find the word to put a stop to war forever. I know it! I can feel it! Because that word exists! One of you has to find it, we鈥檒l find it together, we have to search for it, all together, with passion, with sincerity, we have to search for it in every language, with imagination, and we鈥檒l find it, you鈥檒l find it!鈥�