PINE FOREST – “An indescribable, very strong emotion”. This is how some students of the Istituto Comprensivo Giovanni XXIII of Pineto describe the emotions they felt this morning, 19 April 2024, in the Paul VI Hall of Vatican City, in front of Pope Francis. The Pineto students, around 40, participated with their teachers and the director Sabrina Del Gaone also accompanied by representatives of the Municipality of Pineto, a body that welcomed the possibility of meeting the Holy Father thanks to the initiative of the ‘National Coordination of Local Authorities for Peace and Human Rights’. Among those present, in fact, the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Municipality of Pineto Roberta Di Silvestrosubcommissioner Luana Strippoli and the Prefect of Teramo, Fabrizio Stem. The initiative, dedicated to information and communication about Peace, is aimed at increasing awareness among students on the importance of working for peace building. Pineto was the only municipality in the Teramo area to participate in this meeting. In the afternoon there will also be a guided tour of Palazzo Montecitorio, seat of Parliament.
Pope Francis met with the pupils, teachers and school managers of the National Network of Schools of Peace together with local administrators, rectors and university teachers who signed the ‘Pact of Assisi’ to enhance and extend all the educational efforts that are being made to train a new generation of builders of peace.
“The kids’ emotion was very strong, but so was that of us adults – declares Commissioner Di Silvestro – listening to the words of the Holy Father up close was moving. It was not a given that our request to join would be accepted and we participated with a strong motivation also for the topics covered by the meeting. The students are very aware of the aims of the day, they worked hard in class with the teachers whom I thank. International tensions, from the war in Ukraine to the conflict in the Middle East, invite us to reflect more forcefully on building peace with younger people, those who will be able to make a difference in the future. I would like to thank the head teacher Del Gaone again for giving the opportunity to around 40 students to participate and to all those who in various capacities made this unique and special day possible”.
At the end of the meeting, two books were given to the Pope, one on Pineto and one on Teramo and a letter signed by Commissioner Di Silvestro.
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