It is with deepest sorrow that the Community of Sant'Egidio joins the universal Church in mourning the death of Pope Francis. For over 12 years, he guided and oriented us in difficult times marked by rapid change and great uncertainty, which he himself called `a change of era'. He was a decisive point of reference not only for the Church but for the whole world, as during the pandemic.
His passing leaves us bereft of the strongest voice for peace in an international scenario marked by increasing violence and war. He leaves us his legacy of great love for the poor and migrants, which has opened a path of hope in the globalisation of indifference.
We remember with affection the many encounters he had with our Community, as Bishop of Rome and as father of all, his closeness to the humanitarian corridors project and his encouragement to go forth on the path of the ‘3 Ps’ as he renamed the Community of Sant'Egidio: Prayer, the Poor, and Peace.
The words he addressed to us during his first visit in Trastevere in 2014 will always remain in our hearts as a guide for the future:
"And as you walk this path, you help compassion grow in the heart of society — which is the true revolution, that of compassion and tenderness — to cultivate friendship in place of the ghosts of animosity and indifference."
The Community of Sant'Egidio will gather in prayer this evening, Easter Monday, in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere at 8 p.m.
