"Sant'Egidio's work is noble because it reaches where politics cannot reach and achieves what politics cannot achieve". This was said by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the end of his visit to the Community headquarters in Trastevere, where he met, together with Andrea Riccardi and Marco Impagliazzo, the heads of the various areas of Sant'Egidio's work around the world.
"It is an honor for me to be in this house of peace, where you do extraordinary work for the most needy everywhere in the world," he said in his initial greeting in the garden of Sant'Egidio, responding to President Impagliazzo's words of welcome.
Later, in a bilateral conversation with some Community leaders, several issues were addressed. Two of the most important, illustrated at the end of the visit by Marco Impagliazzo: "the defense of religious freedom, of the Christian minorities in Syria and in other countries, and that of the Muslim Rohingya who had to flee from Burma to Bangladesh". A theme closely connected with the interreligious commitment of Sant'Egidio.
"The second focus of the meeting - continued the President of the Community - was on Africa and in particular on some peace actions in which Sant'Egidio is committed, starting from South Sudan - where a ceasefire has been signed here in Sant'Egidio between the different parties, a commitment that will resume next week with the delegations of all the groups. Again Sudan, for which there is hope for an end to the sanctions and then, of course, the very serious situation in northern Mozambique where jihadist forces carried out destruction, have killed many people - including members of the Community of Sant'Egidio - and caused about 300,000 refugees. For this reason we have asked the United States to take a political commitment and to support the stabilization activities in the area that Sant'Egidio is carrying out through two major programs: the health care program for the treatment of AIDS (DREAM) and the one for the registration of children who are not being recognized (Bravo!)".
Alongside these issues, Sant'Egidio has also pleaded the case of four American citizens sentenced to death (one white, two African Americans and one Hispanic) asking the Secretary of State to intervene with President Trump for a presidential pardon. A question that is part of the global commitment to the abolition of the death penalty that the Community has been pursuing for many years.
