Career
He studied in Bologna, at Cornell with Brian Tierney and in Fribourg (Switzerland) with Eugenio Corecco and Jean-Marie Tillard and he has taught at the University of Bologna and Roma Tre University. He is currently Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Holder of the Unesco Chair on religious pluralism and peace at Sapienza (Rome), he is Director of the Foundation for Religious Studies . fscire,it in Bologna-Palermo-Venice named after John XXIII because of the collection of his archives owned by the Fundation.
He is principal investigator for the European. He spearheaded the establishment of the Infraia Rei_Res project headed by the fscire (2015), Resilience research infrastructure project, the European Academy of Religion (2015), of the International Committee on Benedict XV centennial, the La Pira Library in the History and Doctrines of Islam in Palermo (2018), the European Research Infrastructure on Religious Studies Resilience-ri (2013 e 2020), the Italian National PhD programme DREST.EU (2021), the MA in Religions History Cultures with the Theological faculty of Bologna, Unibo e Unimore (2021), the amos Luzzatto Library on the history and doctrines of Judaism. [1]
He worked on the History of the Second Vatican Council directed by Giuseppe Alberigo, and directed several international programmes like the Edizione nazionale dei diari di Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (Istituto per le scienze religiose, Bologna, 2003-2008), Dizionario del sapere storico religioso del '900 (2010) e Cristiani d'Italia. Chiese, stato, società 1861-2011 (Treccani, Roma, 2011), Enciclopedia costantiniana (2013), Martin Luther. A Christian between Reforms and Modernity (1517-2017),Don Lorenzo Milani, Opera Omnia (2017),I Presidenti della Repubblica. Il Capo dello Stato e il Quirinale nella storia della democrazia italiana(ed. with Sabino Cassese and Giuseppe Galasso, 2018), I Presidenti e la Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri nell’Italia repubblicana. Storia, politica, istituzioni, (ed with Sabino Cassese and Alessandro Pajno, 2021), The Creed of Nicaea (325). The Status Quaestionis and the Neglected Topics (con Costanza Bianchi 2024), Episcopal elections in the Churches. Laws, Practices, Procedures, Doctrines (ed. with Federico Ruozzi 2025), Il Concilio e il Credo. Storia e trasmissione dei simboli di Nicea e Costantinopoli (ed with Costanza Bianchi and Massimiliano Proietti,2025), Francesco, il papa (2025).
He is chief editor for the project Conciliorum oecumenicorum generaliumqe decreta in Brepols's Corpus Christianorum and for the Mansi 3, a digital edition of all the church councils held in the course of history. He directs A History of the Desire for Christian Unity a multi-volume reference work on the history of Ecumenism ed by Brill.
He published works on medieval canon Law, the church and the state in the Twentieth century, on the Conclave.
He is a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, honorary member of the Accademia Rubiconia, alderman for the Académie internationale des sciences religieuses.
Member of the board the Enciclopedia Italiana, Fondazione Carisbo, PostePay, he is presidente of il Portico, a publishing company owing EBD, Marietti1820, Emi.
He serves as member of the international board for reviews such as the Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique in Leuven, Schweizerischen Zeitschrift für Religions- und Kulturgeschichte in Fribourg, and Studia Historiæ Ecclesiasticæ published by the University of South Africa.
He is working on La grande storia and special hosts for the national broadcasting History Channel. He has created and currently hosts Il sabbatico on Rainews24. He is also a columnist for both Il Corriere della Sera wince 2000 amd he offered views and comments for many networks and newspapers.
Between 2020 and 2024, Melloni served as a Chief Scientific Advisor to the European Commission. [2]
