This year on February 14, the Community of Sant'Egidio in Treichville, Abidjan, experienced a special Valentine's Day, which is linked to the Jubilee of Mercy. It is a Feast of love, but in this case, it is dedicated to the elderly and young people living on the streets, to whom Sant'Egidio has been connected for years in this neighborhood of the Ivory Coast’s capital city. After a participatory liturgy, they ate together with their friends from the Community and were seated at tables that are dedicated to friendship, joy, and unity. There were also homeless youth who came from other neighborhoods, such as Marcory, Port-Bouet et Yopougon.
It was even a celebration of an alliance between generations, which is increasingly needed in Africa due to the phenomenon of abandonment of the elderly and the prejudices that surround them. "It is not easy for someone to remember us or even want to party with us," Marie said movingly at the end of Mercy Valentine's Day.
A celebration, which is dedicated to friendship with the poorest, took place at the Community House in Abidjan.
