“You have very difficult times behind you. But now you are here and you have a positive process of inclusion and caring for your children, in front of you. Welcome”. With these words, at Fiumicino airport this morning, Andrea Riccardi, founder of Comunità di Sant’Egidio, received another 50 refugees coming from Lebanon through humanitarian corridors. The initiative promoted by Comunità di Sant’Egidio, the Federation of Italian Evangelical Churches and the Waldensian Church celebrates its first anniversary: it was February 29^th 2016 when a first group of refugees flew in to Rome, perfectly safely and legally, under an agreement between the promoter organisations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior. Another 75 are expected to arrive on March 2^nd, so the total number will be nearly 700 people. Very many, as usual, are the children who flew in from Lebanon this morning. One of them shows a drawing where, inside a big red heart and among thousands of stars, he wrote: “I love Italia”.

Speaking to them with the help of a translator, Riccardi said: “Don’t believe what you read on the papers. Italy likes Syrians and really wishes to take you in”. Actually, since it has been opened, the initiative of the humanitarian corridors has been very generously received by the families, parishes and associations, which decided to take in these people. 17 Italian Regions and 70 cities are hosting them. All of them have been put through inclusion processes: the children go to school and the first ones who arrived can already speak Italian.

“Are they coming for economic reasons? Yes – Riccardi answers – but above all they are coming because of the war, the drought, the hunger. And we must have the courage to respond to all this with systems that give the host European societies a proof of safety, that meet the need for solidarity and even with Europe’s need for new Europeans, because of its scarce population”. In an age of populism, when borders are being closed down, Riccardi added: “We hope doors may be opened, humanitarian corridors may be opened, a transparent, a legal system be set up to take in these people. Walls are just a temporary relief, and those who support them are lying. Behind walls, societies wither, and only human trafficking thrives behind those walls”. The promoter organisations thank the Italian Government for its “vision” in signing this agreement for one thousand people and another agreement with Sant’Egidio and the Italian Bishops Conference for another 500 from the Horn of Africa. Hopefully, a similar experience will start in Franc too next March.