(ANS - Rimini) - Two humanitarian corridors are being set up to rescue 2,000 refugees from Lebanon and Morocco in the coming months. Flights will be laid on allowing them to escape from the war zone without having to risk death at sea. This is an historic initiative, the first of its kind in Europe, by the Association of Pope John XXIII and the community of Sant'Egidio. The announcement was made during a conference entitled "The courage to be human" (Rimini, 30 to 31 October).

"We have worked together to create these two humanitarian channels”, said Andrea Riccardi, founder of Sant'Egidio. “To achieve this we had to negotiate hard with the Italian government. As a result we are getting humanitarian visas from Italy because of the dramatic situations that we witnessed. Why must these people, already so sorely tried, run the risk of death on the Balkan route and in the Mediterranean? We are setting up desks in Lebanon and Morocco, where we will draw up lists of those to be accepted. We think this will become a model. So far, nobody in Europe has done this.”

This is not a question of finding new migrants, but rather of bringing refugees safely who otherwise would seek other ways of entry into Europe and risk the horrors well known.

"The refugees will arrive in Italy on a regular flight. It is no longer thinkable that they should end up at the bottom of the sea like thousands and thousands of other migrants. They will be welcomed in our families and parishes" said Paolo Ramonda, Director of the Community of Pope John XXIII.

The first beneficiaries have already been identified, on the basis of specific criteria, which allow the allocation of humanitarian visas. They are twelve families, each of between four and eight members, with children already seriously ill, or families who have been living in a tent for three or four years and who are prepared to risk the sea journey just in order to survive. At the conference in Rimini they explained: "For each of them we have already identified people who will take care of them - it's all already organized.”

The initiative is an excellent example of networking between organizations and of Christian ecumenical solidarity. The project, in fact, has the support of FOCSIV – a federation of 72 associations of Christian international volunteer movements. One of these is VIDES, the association of youth volunteers set up by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. It also has the support of the Waldensian Church, which will contribute financially.

Published 03/11/2015