Paris, reception at the Embassy on the occasion of the International Meeting for Peace

As part of the 38th "International Meeting for Peace 2024" - organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Archdiocese of Paris, in the presence of the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Giorgio Silli - on September 23 the Ambassador of Italy to France, Emanuela D'Alessandro, hosted a reception in honour of the International Meeting, together with the President of the Community of Sant'Egidio, Marco Impagliazzo.

The reception was attended by approximately 300 guests, including personalities and religious leaders from all over the world.

In his speech before the religious leaders and authorities present, the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Giorgio Silli, underlined that Italy, together with its partners in the European Union, aims to be - with its efforts and actions , in a complex era due to the multiple crises that characterize it - "…a point of reference for creating an international order based on a universalistic vision supporting peace and upholding the values linked to Democracy and respect for Human Rights".

Undersecretary Silli then underlined the effective collaboration existing between the Italian Government and religious bodies - first and foremost the Community of Sant'Egidio - "…to react and contain the consequences of conflicts and global imbalances typical of contemporary society."

In his speech, the President of the Community of Sant'Egidio, Marco Impagliazzo, first of all said that "we are united by a common mission: to imagine peace, that peace that seems unimaginable, difficult to achieve in a world that rehabilitates war because it has progressively lost its memory. We heard it yesterday in the words of Professor Riccardi. It is in imagination that we find the antidote to resignation. It is through dialogue that the great religions rediscover the meaning of coexistence". President Impagliazzo then underlined that "here in Paris, once again a crossroads of dialogue" we must all be "dreamers who, together, learn to become artisans of peace".

Finally, in her address - while expressing her "sincere congratulations to the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, and to the President of the Community of Sant'Egidio, Marco Impagliazzo, for the extraordinary success of the 38th International Meeting for Peace" - Ambassador D'Alessandro underlined that "the guiding thread of the Meeting, Imagining Peace, today confronts all of us with the many current international conflicts - a challenge as urgent as it is complex, in which the religious and community dimension can play a crucial role". The Ambassador then expressed to the Community of Sant'Egidio and to all the religious authorities present "her deepest appreciation for the commitment made in favour of peace: a goal to achieve which Italy, together with France, spares no effort".