ROME—The Community of Sant’Egidio has stated that the recent handover of weapons by Basque separatist group ETA to France marks “a point of no return in the process of reconciliation.”

 “The handover of weapons by ETA to France, which took place in the last few days in Bayonne under the watch of guarantors, represents a historic moment in a long and extremely painful series of events,” reads a note from the Community of Sant’Egidio.

 “Whilst we recognise the positivity of the event, our thoughts go out to the number of victims of this period and to the families that still bear the wounds of this suffering. The handover of weapons aims to avoid that their might be new victims and constitutes a point of no return,” the note continued.

 “In fact the process of reconciliation just requires the last few steps from everyone, so that finally the page can be turned on this chapter of Spanish history.”

 The Community of Sant’Egidio began in Rome in 1968 and today is a movement of lay people with over 60,000 members. The organisation is primarily dedicated to evangelisation and charity in Rome, Italy and over 73 countries across the world. The Community prides itself on its services to peace and tries to bring solidarity and humanitarian aid to the people who suffer most from war.

 The Archbishop of Bologna, Matteo Zuppi, was present at the weapons handover in Bayonne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The Archbishop is known for his involvement in several processes of reconciliation and is connected through his working for peace with the Community of Sant’Egidio.

 ETA, a Basque nationalist group that has killed over 820 people in the fight for independence since its establishment in 1959, has promised to give up all its remaining arms to members of “civil society” in France.

 The organisation said that the curtain has fallen on its armed campaign for a Basque homeland. 

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