by Aileen Riotto Sirey Ph.D

Italy lost a great stateswoman and our organization lost a dear friend on October 31, 2016. Tina Anselmi joined the resistance against the Nazis as a teenager after witnessing the hanging of young Italian partisans during World War II. She ultimately made history by becoming the very first woman Minister in Italy after being elected five times to the Italian Chamber of Deputies. But Tina will be best remembered for her efforts on behalf of equal opportunity for women and she is considered by many to be the mother of modern Italian democracy. Tina conducted herself with thoughtfulness and integrity in all of her roles.

Somewhere in the 1990's, after she was invited to speak at a conference held by our organization in Udine, Friuli, Tina apparently decided to adopt us. She arranged for our party of 120 to be the first woman's group to have a private audience with the Pope (pictured below). She joined us again in Sydney and Perth, Australia, in Buenos Aires, Argentina and many times in Rome and New York on various panels or conferences sponsored by NOIAW or other groups.

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Source: http://www.noiaw.org/