16.07 – Saturday 1 June 2024
(The following text is taken entirely from the press note sent to the Opinion Agency) –
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Over six thousand aclisti from all over Italy participated today in the Vatican in the special audience of Pope Francis with which the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the ACLI began, a significant milestone for the Association which, since its foundation, is committed to promoting the values of work, solidarity and social justice.
The meeting was attended by several customers coming from Trentino with a bus and private vehicles following the representatives and volunteers of the ACLI abroad who participated in the “Beyond the Borders” conference in recent days.
The special audience with Pope Francis represents a moment of reflection and celebration, with the aim of renewing the ACLI’s commitment to future challenges, in view of the next National Congress in November. Among the speeches, that of the national President Emiliano Manfredonia and the spiritual companion of the movement Father Giacomo Costa who underlined the importance of the themes of peace and Europe.
In his speech, Pope Francis defined the ACLI as «places where it is possible to meet ‘saints next door’, who do not end up on the front pages of the newspapers, but sometimes concretely change things, for the good, thanks to the commitment and to dedication in service to society. An important presence in society is that of the ACLI, adds Francis who asks those who are part of it to commit themselves to peace in this world bloodied by so many wars”. The theme of peace was evoked several times by the pontiff who added: «Let the ACLI be the voice of a culture of peace, a space in which to affirm that war is never “inevitable” while peace is always possible; and that this applies both in relations between States and in the life of families, communities and in the workplace.”
Pope Francis then focused on the style that must distinguish the ACLI which must be popular, synodal, democratic, peaceful and Christian. Popular to be close to ordinary people, synodal to work together and collaborate for the common good, democratic to respect the rights of the weakest and promote the dignity of every person, peaceful to build bridges of dialogue and negotiation, to listen and understand the different parties involved. Finally, the Christian style which means “growing in the spirit of the Gospel, so that it can permeate everything we do and our action has the style of Christ and makes him present in the world”. In practice the dream of Saint Francis of Assisi and many other saints, Christians and believers of all faiths.
