During the International Security Conference in Munich, the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Hanns-Seidel Foundation organized a conference on "The Situation of Christians and Yezidi Refugees in Syria's Neighboring States." This was attended by the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Gerd Müller, representatives of the Christian and Yezidi minorities of Syria and Iraq, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious and Ideological Freedom, Prof. Heiner Bielefeldt, and Archbishop Schick, chairman of the Commission for the Universal Church of the German Bishops' Conference.
Several participants emphasized the importance of the model of interreligious meetings in the spirit of Assisi, which the Community of Sant'Egidio has organized since 1987.
Prof. Klaus Reder of the Community of Sant'Egidio affirmed the need to resolve the conflict, starting with the sending of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of the population in critical regions. He reported on the new pilot project of the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy. It is about the establishment of humanitarian channels in cooperation with the Italian government, which will issue visas to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and other refugees from sub-Saharan Africa in Morocco. Therefore, they can safely enter Italy, where they will then apply for political asylum. This project is a model for avoiding further casualties in the Mediterranean and can be imitated in the future by other European countries.
Interfaith dialogue and the protection of minorities in the Middle East are important paths toward peace
