The ‘people’ of Sant'Egidio in the basilica for eucharistic liturgy and celebratory reception: older and younger, elderly in need, homeless, people with disabilities, refugees arrived through humanitarian corridors and representatives of institutions. Card. Reina: The prophecy of Sant'Egidio is in the strength of being a family and creating relationships - Impagliazzo: This morning at the audience Pope Francis encouraged us to continue building peace in Rome and in the world.
A solemn mass and a celebratory reception for all the people gathered in San Paolo fuori le Mura for the fifty-seventh anniversary of Sant'Egidio. In his homily, Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, commenting on the readings of the liturgy, said: ‘At a time when we experience loneliness, which is a source of anguish and suffering for many, it is important to repeat that it is not good for the man to be alone, it is not good to leave anyone behind: we cannot accept people being crushed by poverty, suffering illness or any form of hardship’. ‘The strength of being a family and of creating relationships,’ continued the Cardinal Vicar, ‘is the prophecy of the Community of Sant'Egidio, in its work for peace and in the dialogue with different religions. Thanking the Community ‘for the good it has achieved, for the bridges it has built and the seeds of hope it has sown’, he invited them to ‘look to the future with hope’, in the certainty that the Lord will continue to ‘bless and accompany the Community of Sant'Egidio in its path’.
The president of Sant'Egidio, Marco Impagliazzo, in his greeting at the end of the liturgy, stressed that Sant'Egidio ‘also feels Roman inspired by that universal openness that characterises this city and above all its Church’. ‘This morning,’ continued Impagliazzo, ‘I had the joy of being received by Pope Francis, who asked me to bring his blessing to the Community, his support and thanks for always being close to the poor and, at this time, particularly to the migrants with the humanitarian corridors. The Pope invited us to continue on the path of building peace in this city and in the many difficult places where the Community lives.’
The basilica was filled with a crowd of people from early afternoon, the ‘people of Sant'Egidio’, people of all ages, from different neighbourhoods of the capital, together with the poor who are part of the Community, many friends who accompany Sant'Egidio on its journey, representatives of the institutions. Other Christian Churches and other religions were also represented.
After the Eucharistic liturgy the many participants attended a reception: elderly people in difficulty, homeless people, some of whom have left the street thanks to the support of the Community, people with disabilities, the ‘new Italians’ now integrated into our country and the refugees who have come through the humanitarian corridors. Also a group of Ukrainian refugees, suffering the consequences of a conflict that this month is painfully reaching its third year, participated.
The celebration in Rome was just the first of many that will take place in the more than 70 countries where Sant'Egidio is present, from Europe to Africa, from Asia to Latin America.
