Community of Sant'Egidio

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Sant'Egidio in Rome

The Community of Sant'Egidio is a spiritual community recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as a “Public Association of Believers in the Church” , which was founded in 1968 by Andrea Riccardi in Rome as a lay movement of pupils and students. It is named after its headquarters, the former Sant'Egidio monastery in the Roman district of Trastevere .

Structure and distribution

The community states that there is no formal membership; therefore the number of those belonging to Sant'Egidio can only be estimated. The Compendium of the Pontifical Lay Council for International Movements named a number of 50,000 members for 2006.

Every four years, an electoral assembly made up of around 40 representatives elects the president and a council as a guiding body. The current President of the Community is Marco Impagliazzo, who was last re-elected in December 2014. There is also a spiritual general assistant .

In the German-speaking area, the communities are organized in the form of a registered association. The first chairman of the Sant'Egidio eV community is Klaus Reder. On April 23, 2009 the association was awarded the DZI donation seal .

Self-image

The community considers dealing with the Bible , listening to the word of God, prayer , “ sharing the Gospel ”, “ friendship with the poor ”, ecumenism , interreligious dialogue and the commitment to peace and human rights as central. During his visit to the community on June 14, 2014, Pope Francis characterized Sant'Egidio with three “P”: preghiera, poveri, pace (prayer, arms, peace).

The prayer

Common evening prayer, which is open and takes place in central churches, is the basis of communal life. One passage from the Bible is laid out in each case. On Sunday the communities meet for the celebration of the Eucharist.

social commitment

The community Sant'Egidio describes the social commitment, especially through personal relationships, as "friendship with the poor". This includes:

Children and young people

In “Schools of Peace”, in addition to school support (e.g. homework supervision), joint games and excursions, values ​​of humanity, peace and coexistence on the basis of the Christian faith are to be conveyed. The "Land of the Rainbow" is a worldwide movement of the community in which children should campaign for the rights of children worldwide.

Old people

In Europe the community supports old people. In the 90s the movement “Long live who is old” was born and tries to represent the rights of the elderly.

Canteen for the homeless and needy

The community maintains " canteens " where meals are offered. Through church services and memorial events, humane treatment of people who suffer from homelessness and poverty is to be strengthened.

Language school for refugees and new citizens

The School for Language and Culture offers free language courses and an introduction to the culture of the host country in various European countries. Refugees and new citizens founded the movement “People of Peace” in various European countries in 1999 with the aim of promoting integration , encounters between cultures and religions, exchange and peace work in the respective countries. In 2016, in cooperation with the Evangelical Churches in Italy, an agreement was signed with the Italian government and the project "Humanitarian Corridors" was set up, in which refugees from camps in Lebanon, Morocco and Ethiopia can safely enter Europe with humanitarian visas . to avoid the dangerous journeys across the sea.

People with disabilities - "The Friends" movement

Spiritual exchanges, religious training and leisure activities for adults with disabilities are offered. The "Friends" movement is an association supported by the handicapped in the community, which supports the DREAM program for AIDS sufferers in Africa by selling self-painted pictures from its own painting school.

Peace work

The community has been involved as a moderator or observer in numerous successful peace negotiations, for example for Guatemala , Kosovo , the Ivory Coast , and South Sudan , as well as an attempt to mediate in Algeria. Her most significant diplomatic success is the brokerage of the peace treaty for Mozambique on October 4, 1992, the General Peace Agreement of Rome , which ended a sixteen-year civil war; here she worked with the UN and numerous countries. Other initiatives relate to mediating activities for Casamance in Senegal and for the Mindanao region in the Philippines, for which an intermediary function was assumed in collaboration with the large Islamic association Muhammadiyah from Indonesia.

Dream program

DREAM ( Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition ) is a program to fight HIV / AIDS in Africa . It combines medical interventions such as AIDS therapy , prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the treatment of opportunistic infections with non-medical activities, e.g. B. Education, inclusion of HIV-positive people in patient care (activists), establishment of self-help groups, advanced training of medical staff or food aid. DREAM is striving for a European standard of medical services. All services are free of charge for the patient.

Since 2002 DREAM has set up 38 day clinics in ten African countries ( Mozambique , Malawi , Tanzania , Kenya , Angola , Nigeria , Cameroon , Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , DR Congo ), mainly in state and church health facilities. All centers are integrated into the respective national AIDS programs and only work with local staff. To date, over 151,000 patients have been enrolled, of whom approximately 91,000 have started AIDS therapy; 21,000 children are born to HIV-positive mothers, with medical aids reducing the HIV transmission rate to newborns from around 30% to 2%.

To clarify medical questions, non-interventional studies and the like are also carried out as part of the DREAM program . a. on mother-to-child transmission, patient adherence , influence of diet and resistance of the HIV virus .

Commitment to the abolition of the death penalty

Since 1998 the Community has campaigned for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty . In the opinion of the Community, in cooperation with the World Coalition against the Death Penalty (WCADP), an appeal that more than 5 million people worldwide signed in 2007 contributed to the UN General Assembly voting for a resolution by a large majority on December 18, 2007 calling for a moratorium worldwide.

Every year since 2002, the community organizes the worldwide day of action "Cities for Life / Cities against the Death Penalty" on November 30th

Peace meeting

At the 1986 World Prayer Meeting in Assisi , members of the Community of Sant'Egidio helped with the logistical implementation. Since then, the community has organized annual “International Peace Meetings”, for example in 2003 in Aachen, 2011 in Munich, 2012 in Sarajevo, 2013 in Rome, 2014 in Antwerp, 2015 in Tirana and 2016 in Assisi on the 30th anniversary of the first meeting. In 2017 the meeting took place in Münster and Osnabrück u. a. with the participation of Chancellor Merkel.

criticism

The Italian journalist Sandro Magister claimed in L'Espresso articles in 2003 that there were “internal assemblies” in which the individual member had to answer to the group for his actions and his lived faith. The leader of the local community finds out about the path that the individual is walking in the community. Those who express their own or critical thoughts are initially excluded from the assembly and possibly also from the community. New members and members without management functions are not informed about the internal structure.

Awards

Andrea Riccardi during his lecture at the Charlemagne Prize Europe Forum

Selection of awards:

In January 2002 the Italian Chamber of Deputies submitted a request to the Italian government to nominate the Community of Sant'Egidio for the Nobel Peace Prize. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Quakers did the same .

See also

literature

  • Albert Franz (Ed.): World religions for peace. The International Peace Meetings of Sant'Egidio . Paulinus Verlag, Trier 1996, ISBN 3-7902-0095-6 .
  • Andrea Riccardi, Jean-Dominique Durand and Régis Ladous: Sant'Egidio - Rome and the world. Conversations with Jean-Dominique Durand and Régis Ladous . EOS Verlag, St. Ottilien 1998, ISBN 3-88096-453-X .
  • R. Morozzo della Rocca (Ed.): Paths to Peace. The international peace work of the Community of Sant'Egidio. Würzburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-429-03274-6 .
  • R. Morozzo della Rocca (ed.): Mozambique - creating peace in Africa. Echter Verlag, Würzburg, ISBN 978-3-429-02582-3 .
  • V. Paglia, The Word of God Every Day 2017/2018. Real Verlag Würzburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-429-04433-6 .

Web links

Own pages

Press reports and other information

Critical representations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Codex iuris canonici (1983), can. 312; Canon law of the Latin Church in the valid version from 1983 ( Chapter II: Public associations of believers ( Memento of December 4, 2018 in the Internet Archive ))
  2. ↑ Pontifical Council for the Laity: International Associations of the Faithful: Sant'Egidio Community . accessed on July 13, 2015.
  3. ^ Community Sant'Egidio eV, registered at the District Court of Würzburg (VR 986, status: November 20, 2006).
  4. ↑ Register of Associations, District Court of Würzburg, as of August 31, 2011.
  5. ^ German Central Institute for Social Issues : Community Sant'Egidio eV . Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  6. ↑ Address of the Holy Father during his visit to the Sant'Egidio Community (June 15, 2014) | Francis. Retrieved August 22, 2020 .
  7. ↑ For the self-image cf. Vicenzo Paglia: The Word of God Every Day 2016/2017 . Sant'Egidio books, Würzburg 2016, pp. 7–15
    Community of Sant'Egidio: Song of the Psalms . Würzburg 2006, pp. 7-18.
  8. ↑ Friendship without social boundaries . In: mainpost.de . October 28, 2013 ( mainpost.de [accessed October 1, 2018]).
  9. ↑ The Schools of Peace in the World . Sant'Egidio website, accessed July 13, 2015.
  10. ↑ Gideon Zoryiku: Deceased homeless people should not be forgotten . Main-Post , April 5, 2016.
  11. ↑ Sant'Egidio calls for humanitarian corridors for refugees: “Wall and barbed wire are not the solution” . Interview with Cesare Zucconi, General Secretary Sant'Egidio, at Domradio , March 31, 2016
  12. ↑ The work is described in detail in: Community Sant'Egidio: Jesus as a friend. With mentally handicapped people on the way of the Gospel . Wuerzburg 2004
  13. ↑ Christoph Albrecht: The Community of Sant'Egidio and its peace- making ( Memento from May 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) friZ - Journal for Peace Policy, 5/2000
  14. ^ Sandro Magister: Sant'Egidio "Ad Extra": Disaster in Algeria . ( Memento of October 12, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) L'Espresso , April 9, 1998 (English)
    Sandro Magister: St. Egidio and Algeria. To Ambassador's Disturbing Revelations . L'Espresso , December 23, 2003 (English)
  15. ^ Roberto Morozzo della Rocca: Mozambique. Create peace in Africa. Echter, Würzburg 2003, ISBN 3-429-02582-6
  16. ↑ International Balzan Foundation: Balzan Prize 2004 for humanity, peace and brotherhood among the peoples: Community Sant'Egidio - DREAM . November 18, 2004; accessed on July 13, 2015.
  17. ↑ Andrea Bartoli: Forgiveness and Reconciliation in the Mozambique Peace Process . In: Raymond G. Helmick, Rodney L. Petersen (Eds.): Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Religion, Public Policy, and Conflict Transformation . ISBN 978-1-890151-84-3
  18. ^ Community of Sant'Egidio achieves the release of Senegalese soldiers who were held captive in Casamance . Press release Sant'Egidio, December 9, 2012.
  19. ^ Philippines: International Peace Conference in Mindanao . Zenit , June 5, 2014.
  20. ^ Katherine Marshall: Interfaith Health-Care Reform . faithstreet.com, August 16, 2009.
  21. ^ Maria Cristina Marazzi, Giuseppe Liotta, Giovanni Guidotti, Leonardo Palombi: DREAM - An Integrated Faith-Based Initiative to Treat HIV / Aids in Mozambique - case study . World Health Organization , Geneva, 2005, ISBN 92-4-159298-2 (pdf; 384 kB).
    Maria Cristina Marazzi, Giuseppe Liotta, Paola Germano, Giovanni Guidotti, A. Doro Altan, Susanna Ceffa, Massimo Magnano San Lio, Karin Nielsen-Saines, and Leonardo Palombi: Excessive Early Mortality in the First Year of Treatment in HIV Type 1-Infected Patients Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Limited Settings . AIDS Research And Human Retroviruses, 2008, 24 (4), pp. 555-560 (pdf)
  22. ↑ Article on handing over the signatures: ( Memento of May 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Iniziativa popolare per fermare il boia “È la volontà di 154 Paesi, non può essere ignorata” . Out: Avvenire . Marco Impagliazzo: Pena capitale le firme del mondo . From: il Mattino .
    Article on the vote: Human rights: UN committee calls for the death penalty to be stopped . Spiegel Online , November 16, 2007.
    With an explicit mention of Sant'Egidio: UN: Vatican welcomes decision on the death penalty . ( Memento of May 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Message from Vatican Radio , November 16, 2007
  23. ^ Aloysius Kedl: Father Marcello Zago's Role in the Celebration of the 1986 Day of Prayer for Peace at Assisi . In: Vie Oblate Life 65/1 (2006) ( Memento from February 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 377 kB), p. 37.
  24. ↑ Daniel Deckers , Reinhard Bingener: Peace meeting: The better variant of the religious . ( Memento from September 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , September 14, 2011.
  25. ↑ Message of peace and tolerance . The daily mail , accessed on July 13, 2015.
  26. Jump up ↑ Deckers Daniel: A World On Fire: Religious Leaders Talk About War and Peace . Article from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of September 9, 2014 on the website of the Community of Sant'Egidio; accessed on July 13, 2015.
  27. ↑ Christoph Strack: “Dialogue between religions is necessary” . Deutsche Welle , September 10, 2017, accessed on September 19, 2017.
  28. ^ Sandro Magister: Twenty-Five Years in the Community of Sant'Egidio: A Memoir . With a text by Giuliano Fiorese: The Life of Sant'Egidio . repubblica.it , May 15, 2003 (English).
  29. ↑ Comunità di Sant'Egidio: Premi e riconoscimenti . ( Memento of May 2, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  30. ↑ UNESCO: Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize 1999 Prize winner: Community of Sant'Egidio . Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  31. ^ Dillingen district : Representatives from around 50 communities take part in the awarding of the European St. Ulrichs Prize in Dillingen . Press release April 17th, 2014.
  32. ↑ City of Goch, Mayor: The Community of Sant'Egidio and its founder Andrea Riccardi receive the first Arnold Janssen Prize of the city of Goch, endowed with 15,000 euros ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) September 26, 2003 (pdf; 71 kB)
  33. ↑ International Balzan Foundation: 2004 Balzan Prize Winner appointed . ( Memento from March 19, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) September 7, 2004 (pdf; 62 kB)
  34. ^ Search for Common Ground: Search for Common Ground Announces the 2004 Common Ground Awards Honoring Individuals and Organizations' Achievements in Peacebuilding. (doc) Archived from the original on June 7, 2007 ; Retrieved November 20, 2015 (107 KB).
  35. ↑ Sant'Egidio receives science award . Die Tagespost , teaser, accessed on July 13, 2015.
  36. ^ The Charlemagne Prize winner 2009 Andrea Riccardi . Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  37. ^ Repubblica Italiana, Camera dei Deputati : Mozione Ciani ed altri N. 1-00027 concernente la Comunità di Sant'Egidio . 88th session, January 29, 2002
    Repubblica Italiana - Camera dei Deputati: Resoconto stenografico dell'Assemblea . ( Memento of February 22, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Stenographic minutes of the 88th meeting, January 29, 2002
  38. ^ AFSC Nominates Community for Nobel Peace Prize . ( Memento of June 27, 2004 on the Internet Archive ) American Friends Service Committee, January 11, 2002.