{"id":180986,"date":"2026-02-20T09:49:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T09:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raed.academy\/?p=180986"},"modified":"2026-02-20T09:49:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T09:49:02","slug":"francesc-torralba-a-testimony-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raed.academy\/en\/francesc-torralba-a-testimony-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Francesc Torralba, a testimony of hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Francesc

Dr. Francesc Torralba<\/p><\/div>\n

Francesc Torralba<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/a>, Director of the Ethos Chair in Applied Ethics<\/strong> at the Ramon Llull University<\/strong> and of the Chair of Christian Thought<\/strong> of the Bishopric of Urgell<\/strong>, member of the Dicastery for Culture and Education<\/strong> of the Holy See, and Full Member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ)<\/strong>, is featured in the latest issue (No. 3,445) of the magazine \u201cVida Nueva,\u201d<\/strong> corresponding to the week of 7\u201313 February. In recent weeks, the academic has been the subject of numerous interviews and reports following his receipt of the Josep Pla Prize<\/strong>, awarded by the publishing house Destino<\/strong> for his work \u201cAnatomy of Hope,\u201d<\/strong> presented at the traditional Epiphany gala held in Barcelona. The book explores the mechanisms that sustain the human spirit when all seems lost, drawing on philosophy, literature, and lived experience, and deepens themes addressed in his two previous works, \u201cThe Word That Sustains Me\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cThere Are No Words. How to Come to Terms with the Death of a Child,\u201d<\/strong> in which he shares his grief over the tragic death of his son Oriol<\/strong>, aged 26, in a mountain accident during a hike in which Torralba himself accompanied him.<\/p>\n

In an extensive conversation with journalist Jos\u00e9 Luis Celada, Torralba reflects on the meaning, value, and necessity of hope in today\u2019s context, marked by disenchantment, immediacy, and individualism. For the philosopher, hope is essential to human life because it fuels action, commitment, and the ability to overcome both personal and social fragility. \u201cTo expect nothing is like dying while still alive,\u201d he states, since hope enables us to project ourselves toward the future and find meaning even amid suffering. In this regard, he identifies four fundamental elements of hope: the possibility of change, trust in the future, faith understood as trust, and the awareness that good is difficult and requires effort, patience, and communal commitment. He rejects the notion of hope as na\u00efve optimism and presents it instead as an active and persevering attitude.<\/p>\n

The academic also warns that contemporary culture, dominated by immediacy and pessimism, hinders the cultivation of hope, which can only develop through time, perseverance, and communal bonds, since human beings cannot sustain themselves alone in extreme situations. Torralba criticizes the nostalgia and defeatism prevalent in today\u2019s society and underscores the need to construct meaningful horizons capable of combating nihilism and cynicism. According to him, the greatest problem of our time is the loss of purpose, which leads to despair. He concludes that what we have in excess today are cynics, while what we lack are witnesses of hope\u2014individuals capable of living and transmitting a credible and committed hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cVida Nueva\u201d<\/strong> also dedicates its editorial and an opinion article to Torralba\u2019s life and work. \u201cThrough his books, articles, lectures, and conversations, Torralba has become\u2014without seeking it\u2014a beacon of Christian humanism, at a time when such humanism often lacks intellectual figures capable of fostering a faith-reason dialogue connected to present reality, without pontificating or polarizing. A thought inoculated against sensationalist headlines and banal advice typical of a coach seeking clients or an \u2018influencer\u2019 amassing followers through shallow catchphrases,\u201d states the editorial. Meanwhile, Josep Ot\u00f3n<\/strong>, in his regular column in the magazine, highlights the author\u2019s trajectory: \u201cOne might think that such intellectual stature would distance him from everyday life and from the experience of human vulnerability. Quite the opposite. In Torralba we find a constant concern for the contingency of human existence. Behind this more-than-impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9 stands someone deeply engaged with the human condition and fully aware of the value of weakness as a constitutive element of personhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>A teacher and communicator of Christian humanism in major Catalan media outlets such as Catalunya R\u00e0dio<\/strong> and the newspapers \u201cLa Vanguardia\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cEl Punt Avui,\u201d<\/strong> Torralba is the author of notable works including \u201cThe Meaning of Life\u201d<\/strong> (2008), \u201cDo Not Pass By\u201d<\/strong> (2010), \u201cThe Value of Having Values\u201d<\/strong> (2012), \u201cA Sea of Emotions\u201d<\/strong> (2013), \u201cRunning to Think and Feel\u201d<\/strong> (2015), \u201cKnowing How to Say No\u201d<\/strong> (2016), and \u201cVolatile World\u201d<\/strong> (2018). During the pandemic, he published \u201cHumility,\u201d<\/strong> \u201cWords of Consolation: On the Death of a Loved One,\u201d<\/strong> \u201cForming Persons: Edith Stein\u2019s Theology of Education,\u201d<\/strong> \u201cLiving in What Is Essential: Ideas and Questions After the Pandemic,\u201d<\/strong> \u201cAlgorithmic Ethics,\u201d<\/strong> which received the Bones Lletres Prize for Humanistic Essay<\/strong> awarded by the Royal Academy of Good Letters<\/strong> and Edicions62<\/strong>; \u201cThe Glory Fa\u00e7ade of the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia: Spiritual and Theological Sources of Antoni Gaud\u00ed\u2019s Eschatology,\u201d<\/strong> the result of his fourth doctoral thesis; \u201cWhen Everything Falls Apart: Meditating with Kierkegaard\u201d<\/strong> (2023), \u201cThere Are No Words. How to Come to Terms with the Death of a Child\u201d<\/strong> (2024), and \u201cBeatitudes for Agnostics\u201d<\/strong> (2024). He was awarded the Ratzinger Prize 2023<\/strong> by the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger\u2013Benedict XVI<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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