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by Roberto Montoya February 19 2020

The geographical and strategic position of the Mediterranean means that many European countries are washed by the waters of the Mare Nostrum, thanks to the shape of the basin and the multiplicity of direct relationships, which constitutes the sense of rediscovery and the importance of its uniqueness. For this reason it has always been a place of transits, exchanges, and sometimes even conflicts. History teaches us that no empire, not even the Roman one, has ever managed to dominate the Mediterranean permanently, which over the centuries has always put different peoples and civilizations in contact, marking a real "sea among the lands" in which traditions, different religions and cultures can interact and enrich each other's mutual confrontation.

"Mediterranean frontier of peace" is the title of the meeting of reflection and spirituality between the Catholic bishops of the 20 countries bordering the Mediterranean (Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa). The initiative was organized by the CEI (Italian Episcopal Conference), held in Bari, which becomes the center of the Mediterranean from 19 to 23 February. The forum also sees the participation of Pope Francis who will celebrate Sunday mass.

2019 was a controversial year. In Italy just over eleven thousand people arrived by sea. The drop in the presence of the desperate on our coasts is mainly due to the blockade leaving Libya: a situation of terror for immigrants, who flee from torture, rape and abuse. Again in 2019, 123,000 immigrants arrived on European shores, compared to around 141,000 in 2018. In the first month of 2020, 1,340 people landed in Italy, an increase of 570% compared to January 2019, and 130% compared to December of the same year.

Europe responded to the problem by finding agreement arrangements outside its borders, bringing immigrants back to Turkey, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Niger and Sudan. Today The Mediterranean is marked by a profound rift, as a place of violence, inequality, exploitation and interests, not aimed at the common good, but at the logic of the strongest, without attention and care for the weakest.

Pope Francis' first trip was to the island of Lampedusa, the landing place for thousands of refugees from the Middle East. There he turned to Europe with a dramatic question found in Genesis: "Cain, where is your brother?" The cry of his blood has come down to me ”words that resonate every time Pope Francis denounces the trafficking of people, forced prostitution and the exploitation of work, consolidated wounds of this 21st century. More than 15 thousand people have died in the past five years in the Mediterranean (from 2014 to 2019), in addition to those we are not aware of.

The European continent is bathed in relativism, but the immigrants who arrive and knock on our borders are imbued with religiosity and a strong sense of family. The children who attend the catechism in our parishes, especially in the suburbs, reach in some cities about 50%, children of foreign parents, a holy hand that falls from the sky. Today, although criticism and skepticism increase, the need for new moral energies is clear, to overcome the tiredness of an aged and renunciated society, as well as in need of young hearts, capable of passion and sacrifice.

To want peace, to promote peace, to be instruments of peace: we are here for this ”, Francis recalled at the interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi. “Without hesitation, any form of violence should be condemned, because it is a serious profanation of the Name of God, which is often used to justify hatred and violence against his brother. There is no violence that can be religiously justified ". A message and a clear invitation to respect everyone's dignity and to build bridges. It is precisely in the unity of differences that relationships take place, one of the strong leaders of Christianity. Italy and Europe strongly need a young thought, capable of intuiting new solutions for the great problems that the old generations have caused - says CEI - Italy has a strong need for Europe, and Europe has a vital need for Italy. Adds Cardinal Bassetti: “Nobody would gain from a hypothetical detachment. A detachment that, among other things, from a historical, geographical, spiritual and cultural point of view has no reason to exist ”.



We met Vincenzo Corrado , first lay director of the Social Communications Office of the CEI (Italian Episcopal Conference)

The Mediterranean has become a place of conflict rather than of peace. What do you think?
One of the reasons why the Mediterranean is unfortunately the scene of clashes is due to the particular interests which in a certain sense are favored by the wealth it offers. In this sense, it becomes an object of interest on the international chessboard. To foster the development of the Mediterranean population, special attention is needed, a human vision, not the one that meets your needs. The investments that are made must take into account the needs of the locals. Otherwise we always remain in a colonization logic.

But is it just that?
In addition, the Mediterranean also witnesses how difficult it is to bathe different lands with the same flow of water. It has become a kind of unconscious in which the fractures that all the coastal countries live, all the countries that are quenched thirst by its waters, are recorded. Unfortunately, it is now known to everyone how the situation of crisis, of development, of inequalities, of exploitation, of persecutions are all one with this sea. We have Libya, North Africa, Turkey and Greece before us, which has experienced a strong crisis; the Balkans, which have experienced a crisis that has also shattered entire identities. Not to mention the crisis of confidence in European countries that is registered. And that Mediterranean continues to witness all that we are today.

What does CEI propose with this Forum?
With this meeting, the CEI tries to give an answer, not an univocal answer, but the synthesis of listening. The CEI, on the intuition of Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, promoted this meeting which will bring together all the bishops of the Mediterranean. The basic idea is to listen, to listen to each other, and through the voice of the bishops to listen to the voices of the populations; focus on the problems, but also the riches. Very often we forget that the Mediterranean is also a source of wealth, history, civilization, culture, this is precisely what the meeting wants to be, which can also open a window of peace.

With the arrival of immigrants on our shores we have closed the borders. What do you think?
To think that we can reduce the migration problem to a simple slogan "closed ports" or "closed borders" is misleading. Obviously, the approach must be combined with that humanity that basically distinguishes the actions that concern the human person. And that's out of the question. Instead it would be foolish to be able to approach such a vast theme with a reductive vision, which does not even take into account what are the roots that favor these migratory waves. Pope Francis has spoken on several occasions, tracing what are the reasons: inequality, trafficking in human beings, disparity, crises that also affect work. But in order to be able to face them, we need a lucidity, even a political one, that takes into account the whole complex that is under the migration issue. What is important to us, as a Church, is that this approach must always be human, in the face of the sufferings of our brothers we must always remain as human shields.

Why do you think the landings of immigrants on our shores are so distressing to us?
First of all, fear is part of man, but then there is an underlying fear that grips, paralyzes and that very often flows into words of hatred. This fear is fomented when we find ourselves in front of someone whom we believe may, in a certain sense, destabilize our certainties. The ability must instead be to ferry this fear into a motivation that can make us better understand who we are facing and why he has come to ask us for help.

What role does politics play in shaping the idea of ​​immigration people?
Our politicians should have a broader view of all realities such as to include the area of ​​problems, but also that of wealth, have the ability to make plans, and to give answers beyond the present moment. We are used to programming answers that obviously try to respond to the problems we face, thus living a little "small". Then we have to pay attention to the narrative, to the words that are used to describe what the real problem should be. The policy with a capital "P" is the one that manages to have people's problems at heart, working on large projects, capable of giving answers going beyond, beyond, the present moment.

In your opinion, what do the other Mediterranean countries think about immigration?
Regarding the theme, there are certainly differences of views. The information circulating on the Mediterranean countries reflects a defect in form. We can get to know the facts and people only by hearsay: listening, hearing the stories, giving a living voice to those who live in these contexts will be a prerogative to get to know better, to come into contact with real problems. The countries bordering the Mediterranean are all united by the same problems: suffering, youth emigration.

Pope Francis said not to complain because it is useless, especially when things are not going well. Indeed, he asked to make concrete proposals that could be useful in solving the problems of Humanity. Did you feel called into question?
The message was rather a delivery, an advice from Pope Francis in the planning phase of the meeting. Obviously how to wrong this need. From the Forum, which arises from mutual listening, concrete traces of a path to follow must emerge, paths that have the potential to go beyond the emergency of the moment, drawing a possible scenario of communion between all the churches in the Mediterranean. Being able to identify common problems, we hope that it will lead to the development of a common reflection. It is necessary to set a timetable and take the resolution of some critical issues to heart; meeting, listening and knowing each other is always an extra stimulus. But the fact of listening to the other is already a first goal achieved.



https://www.mediterraneodipace.it/