Dare forma al futuro: brevi riflessioni critiche sull’opera scientifica di Enrico Vitali

The article retraces the fundamental points of Enrico Vitali’s legal thought and his contribution to the development of the doctrinal debate on ecclesiastical and canon law. Vitali has elaborated a progressive and reformist vision of ecclesiastical law aimed at promoting equal religious freedom for all along with the guarantee for cultural pluralism ; he has also developed a hermeneutical approach towards canon law in which the technical exegesis of the norm is always accompanied by a deep attention to historical and cultural data.