They were in 6 thousand volunteers from the Italian Red Cross, coming from all over Italy (among these 35 of the Modena Committee) That on Saturday they gave their embrace to Pope Francis.
A great red sea, the one created by the representation of the over 150 thousand women and men of the Cri who on the occasion of the 160 years of existence in Italy found themselves experiencing this moment of great intensity in the presence of the Holy Father.
«A great emotion that we Modenese too were lucky enough to experience – he says Carlo Meschiari, president of Modena Committee – we were the most representative group and those who were there declared that they had lived a truly unique and unforgettable experience.”
During the meeting held on Saturday morning, they were addressed through the testimonies of volunteers recent challenges which saw the Italian Red Cross involved. From the pandemic to the flood in Emilia Romagna, from welcoming migrants to Lampedusa until the crisis Ukraineto arrive at activities to support the population in Gaza Strip. A minute of silence was held in memory of the victims of Covid-19 and the volunteers who passed away during the pandemic, following their commitment to supporting the population in this emergency.
The president of the Italian Red Cross Rosario Valastro he then extended his most sincere sympathy to the families of the victims of the L’Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009 in which 309 women, men and children lost their lives.
«What struck us deeply – continues Meschiari – is how daddespite being visibly distressed by his poor physical condition, he still gave us so much hope and energy precisely when he spoke about the value of our seven fundamental principles on which the Red Cross is founded. He looked like one of us! This made us understand even more deeply the validity and universality of the principles which lend themselves well to being adopted by anyone who cares about the value of the people of the world, regardless of cultures and religious beliefs”.
The Red Cross is the largest volunteer organization in the world which has over 14 million volunteers in 191 countries. In Italy alone, there are a total of 150 thousand volunteers divided into 650 Committees. Qthe one from Modena, who turned 137, has more than 600.
«The meeting with the Pope was one of the things that moved me most in life and helped us to team up together», concluded Lucio Tagliazucchi, from Modena and a Cri volunteer since 2009 who, given his passion for photography, , deals with illustrating through images the initiatives and experiences of the Modena committee, including this Roman one. [FINE-TESTO]
