Torre Pellice (Turin), August 31, 2018 – On the afternoon of August 28 the Synod of the Methodist and Waldensian Churches approved the Welcome Manifesto presented last August 8 by the Council of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI).
“It is a manifesto to affirm the rights of the last ones and of the people exposed to risk, since we consider very serious the hateful and xenophobic attitude of the Italian Government – commented the Waldensian pastor Maria Bonafede, member of the FCEI’s Council -. It is a precious document which, starting from Jesus’ words, reminds us of our vocation and also our biblical mission of loving our neighbour and the foreigners. And since everyone of us is a foreigner to somebody else, by welcoming the foreigner we love also ourselves”.
“Every form of racism is a theological heresy”, says the document, which opens with some biblical quotations on the reception and on the rights of the foreigner. The Manifesto continues with 8 points in which the false contrast between the reception of migrants and the needs of Italians is reiterated; the good practice of humanitarian corridors is emphasized; the intercultural exchange is encouraged in the framework of the principles of the Constitution, as well as the international protection and the safeguard of rights, the use of a language that respects dignity, the taking on of a position against xenophobia and racism. The Manifesto also denounces the exasperation of the public debate on the issue of migration. In the last two points, FCEI appeals to the churches of Europe to welcome quotas for asylum seekers and to push their governments to promote policies for sharing migratory flows in a framework of solidarity and shared responsibility, recalling the love of God, which is stronger than the individuals and nations selfishness.
, August 31, 2018 – On the afternoon of August 28 the Synod of the Methodist and Waldensian Churches){kind=link}