The Community of Sant'Egidio in Hong Kong has been visited by President Marco Impagliazzo, who has opened the conference 'Friends of the Poor, Friends of Peace' today.
Economic development and modernity in the great Asian city coexist with forms of extreme poverty, such as that of the many homeless.
For them, the Community - which has been serving the homeless on the streets for years, with distribution of food, health support, and accompaniment for the necessities of life - has opened the 'Home of Mercy'. It is a home that helped many, who found a welcome there, to escape from life on the street. Marco Impagliazzo's visit was the occasion to inaugurate the renovation of this house, thus making it possible to welcome new guests. A joyful occasion, as one of them underlined when he welcomed the president of the Community: "I have lived on the street for 50 years. Now, as an old man, I finally have a family".
Thanks and encouragement for the work of the Community in Hong Kong were addressed by Cardinal Stephen Chow, the city's bishop.
