ROME – The Community of Sant’Egidio is organising vigils in over 30 cities around Italy on Thursday June 23, to say “Yes” to the human corridor project, a representative from the community confirms. 

 The Community of Sant’Egidio, along with other associations, foundations and charities of Italy that have the welfare and mobilisation of migrants and refugees as common interest, have for years, carried out a prayer vigil to remember the uncountable victims who have lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean “in the hope of finding something better”.

 Every year this communal recognition and act of remembrance augments in attendance and “serves to unite Italy” with a sense of community and common will. Italy, as a result of this ‘human corridor’ project piloted by the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Italian Evangelical Church and the Tavola Valdese, was the first country in Europe to create these “roads” to migrants, facilitating their safe and legal entry to Europe.

 The collaboration of these three communities, along with that of the Italian government, has allowed the safe arrival of 280, mostly Syrian, refugees into Italy from Lebanon.

 The Community of Sant’Egidio sees this project as proving that “an alternative to a journey towards death is indeed possible” and implores other European States to see the necessity to embrace the ‘human corridor’ mission, which “links solidarity and safety”.

 During the prayer to those who “died out of hope”, names and stories will be read of those who died in the attempt to reach European shores. The prayer is an invocation to others to see the importance of embracing this culture of acceptance and shelter to those who need it, as a way of putting a stop to the tragedies that take place in the Mediterranean.

 In Rome the vigil will be held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere on Thursday June 23 at 18.30.

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