Focolare Movement

Making Peace

Mar 4, 2013

The role played by The Community of Sant'Egidio in the international arena

Author: Edited by Roberto Morozzo della Rocca

Synopsis

Nicknamed the ‘UN of Trastevere’, the Community of Sant’Egidio, which started life by coming together to pray in the church of Sant’Egidio in 1968, goes out from its Roman base to help resolve civil wars and international conflicts around the globe. Mozambique, Algeria, Kosovo, Liberia and Ivory Coast have all benefitted from its non-threatening, but deeply committed presence. Sant’Egidio also works tirelessly to defeat AIDS in Africa and campaigns vigorously to bring an end to the death penalty.But Sant’Egidio’s message is simple: a way to peace can always be found, and everyone, from professional diplomats to volunteers, from doctors to patients, can make a valid contribution to the peace process. This book presents the fascinating story of Sant’Egidio’s activities for peace and reconciliation for the good of humanity. And theirmotivation: love of God and love of neighbour.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

A precious legacy: Chiara Lubich’s ‘Paradise ’49’

A precious legacy: Chiara Lubich’s ‘Paradise ’49’

The first presentation of Chiara Lubich’s book ‘Paradise ’49’ took place on the 22nd of May 2026 in the Paul VI Hall at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. The book is a collection of writings in which the Foundress of the Focolare Movement bears witness to and shares her mystical experience from the years 1949 to 1951.

Chiara Lubich: “Do you know where we are?”

Chiara Lubich: “Do you know where we are?”

It is the 16th of July 1949. Chiara Lubich is in Tonadico, in the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy, for a period of rest together with some of her first companions. They are joined there by the Honourable Igino Giordani, whom Chiara called Foco. On that day, Chiara and Foco sealed a Pact of unity, a prelude to the spiritual and mystical experience that Chiara would live between 1949 and 1951. This period is known as “Paradise ’49”, the writings from which have recently been published in a book (for now in Italian). In the introduction to the book, the theologian Piero Coda offers some insights “For a theological reading” of the text. Here is an extract, relating specifically to the Pact of the 16th of July, together with a short video of Chiara Lubich from 20 December 1999, in which she shares this experience of light with the Gen, the young people of the Focolare Movement.