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09/06/2007 |
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ROME (Reuters) - They are opposed to the Iraq war. They want to abolish the death penalty worldwide and their stand on political and religious issues is decidedly left of centre. So why have members of Rome's Sant' Egidio Community agreed to meet a conservative like George W. Bush during the U.S. president's visit to Rome on Saturday? "We hope to have a frank and constructive dialogue on international problems, particularly Africa, and the global fight against poverty," said Mario Marazziti, spokesman of the Catholic lay group. The community has come a long way since it was founded in 1968 by a group of about 20 idealistic Catholic high school students who wanted to change the world. They set themselves up in a disused church in the Trastevere neighborhood in 1973. Sant' Egidio has won international acclaim for its social work and peace initiatives, and it was "quite surprised" to receive the White House request for a meeting, Marazziti said. Bush had been due to attend a round-table discussion at the group's headquarters in the Trastevere neighborhood, made up of narrow, winding alleys. Marazziti said on Friday Sant' Egidio had been informed at the last minute that the venue had been changed to the U.S. embassy. He said it was for security reasons. A White House spokesman said the change was for "logistical" reasons. The community's original intention was simple: go about doing their studies or day jobs, meet every night to pray and try to help the needy, however possible, with limited means. Today, the organization numbers some 50,000 members, mostly volunteers, in 70 countries. AN UNEXPECTED OFFER Members of the community realize Bush is anathema to pacifists but Sant' Egidio's leader, Andrea Riccardi, 57, says the White House request was an offer they could not refuse. "Whoever is interested in peace and justice must talk to the United States because they can dedicate enormous amounts of money to the developing world," he told an Italian newspaper. The Sant' Egidio community is involved in myriad social activities, including soup kitchens, shelters for the homeless, Christian-Muslim dialogue and highly successful AIDS prevention programs in several African countries. They lead peace marches, a campaign to abolish the death penalty worldwide and stress the role of lay Catholic activism. They have a bishop and a small number of priests as advisers. The group achieved international recognition in 1992 when they brokered an accord between the Mozambique government and Frelimo guerrillas, ending a fratricidal 16-year civil war. They earned the nickname "the U.N. of Trastevere" after succeeding where others had failed. Sant' Egidio have since been active in peace efforts in the Balkans, Algeria and a host of African countries. Their website calls war "the mother of all poverty" and since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, many members have attended anti-war marches.
Philip Pullella
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