wfn.org | WMC Award to Catholic Community

[owner-umethnews@ecunet.org]

"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3451 notes).

Note 3449 by UMNS on Feb. 24, 1997 at 16:19 Eastern (5069 characters).

SEARCH: World Methodist Council, peace award, St. Egidio, Rome,
Joe Hale, Frances Alguire
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Thomas S. McAnally                   95(10-21-71BP){3449}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             Feb. 24, 1997

EDITORS NOTE:  Photos available to accompany this story. 

Catholic community chosen to receive
1997 World Methodist Peace Award

     LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (USA) -- The World Methodist Council,
representing 73 Methodist and united church bodies around the
globe, will give its highest honor this year to a Catholic
community in Rome, Italy.
     The 1997 World Methodist Peace Award will be given to the
Community of St. Egidio, a volunteer service group organized along
the lines of Catholic lay movements in Renaissance, Italy.
     The community, formed to channel the commitment of its
members to serve society, came to the attention of the World
Methodist Council several years ago, according to the Rev. Joe
Hale, general secretary with offices here.
     It was founded in 1968 by a group of students and young
professionals, because of their Christian faith and commitment to
serving society. They later decided to take up the purposes of the
1986 Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, convened by Pope John Paul
II.
     Andrea Riccardi, the youngest professor ever to occupy the
Chair in Christian History at Rome University, was instrumental in
framing the vision and founding the community.  He graduated from
the university with degrees in law, contemporary and church
history.
     The 1997 award is the first granted to a community rather
than an individual, according to Frances Alguire, New Buffalo,
Mich., chairwoman of the World Methodist Council Executive
Committee.  Of the 17 previous awards, three have been given to
heads of state.
     Announcing the recipient for the 1997 award here Feb. 21,
council officials:
     * commended members of the Community of St. Egidio for the
courageous way that teenagers in 1968 pursued a vision to care for
all members of God's creation through expressions of concern that
make for peace;
     * cited the creativity shown by the community as it expanded
its vision to form communities in other countries, and embarked on
peace initiatives  between warring factions;
     * recognized the consistency of the community and its
determination in recent years to bring together annually various
international governmental and religious leaders to dialogue and
to share together in prayers for peace locally and globally.
     Recipients of the Peace Award receive a medallion, a citation
and $1,000.  The 1997 award will be presented during a meeting of
the World Methodist Council Executive Committee in Rome late in
September.
     Riccardi said the honor is an "expression of the profound
evangelical sensitivity of the Methodist Council" and "confirms us
in our Christian vocation ... to commit ourselves more and more in
the efforts to help the wounded men and women of our societies."
     He also said the award serves as a challenge for the
community to "explore all the possible chances of peace and
reconciliation for those who are lacking them."
     The Peace Award has special meaning to the community, he
said, "coming from your tradition in which the preaching of the
Gospel and the service to the poor are so eloquently
interconnected."
     The Rev. Valdo Benecchi, president of The Methodist Church in
Italy, affirmed the council's choice for the award. "I know their
work for every kind of poor and for peace and am often their guest
at evening prayer meetings," he said.
     In Rome alone, St.Egidio members regularly minister to 6,000
children, 5,000 elderly people, 2,500 with handicapping conditions
and about 600 AIDS patients.
     In the past three years, the St. Egidio Community Center has
given hospitality to 50,000 immigrants.  The Egidio soup kitchen
in Trastevere has fed 70,000 homeless, refugees and immigrants. 
Volunteers have distributed an estimated 400,000 warm meals to
people living in the streets.
     The work of St. Egidio has spread to other cities in Italy
and beyond.  Now communities are located in other parts of Europe,
Latin and Central America, Africa, and Asia.
     Beginning in July of 1990, St. Egidio's Riccardi was one of
the official mediators in the peace negotiations between the
national government and guerrillas in Mozambique.  The talks took
place in the Rome headquarters of the community.  Signatures on
Oct. 1992 brought an end to 16 years of civil war in which one
million people died.
     "Hatred is the basis of all wars because it inflames and
devours the hearts of some people and entire groups," said 
Riccardi.  "Religions do not desire war.  They do not intend to
become instruments of war.  There is no such thing as a sacred
war. Religion insists: only peace is sacred!"
                              #  #  #

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 To make suggestions or give your comments, send a note to 
 umns@ecunet.org or Susan_Peek@ecunet.org

 To unsubscribe, send the single word "unsubscribe" (no quotes)
 in a mail message to umethnews-request@ecunet.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------