Thanks to Pope Francis for his support of humanitarian corridors and his  encouragement to continue the commitment to peace and life  The Community of Sant'Egidio thanks Pope Francis for having awakened people's consciousness from the beginning of the humanitarian crisis linked to the arrival of migrants on Europe's coasts. His trip to Lampedusa of July 2013, his repeated appeals for an Italy and a Europe able to accommodate those fleeing from wars and hunger, have given precious fruits. His request to Christians to host refugees in their facilities and households has made inroads into many walls that have risen recently on our continent. The ecumenical project of the humanitarian corridors of Sant'Egidio, Evangelical churches and the Waldensian Table, of which the Pope spoke today during the Angelus, was born in this climate. We express sincere thanks for the support of this initiative that Pope Francis has called a "concrete sign of commitment to peace and life" that "combines solidarity and security."

Humanitarian corridors have so far allowed the arrival in Italy of 97 Syrian refugees from Lebanon with safe travel, without having to risk their lives on boats in the Mediterranean and without increasing the exploitation by human traffickers. In the coming months, thanks to an agreement with the Italian government, a thousand other vulnerable people (victims of persecution, torture and violence, families with children, elderly people, sick people, persons with disabilities) will arrive in our country through humanitarian corridors. We hope that this pilot project, entirely self-financed by the organisations that have promoted it, can be undertaken at European level.

The Pope’s words at the Angelus »

Video TG1: The Pope praises humanitarian corridors »

Dossier: HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS »