“Peace does not come only with the end of war, but with the beginning of a new world, a world in which we discover ourselves different, more united and more brothers than we could have imagined” : it takes courage in the days we are living to invite humanity to create a new world in which we rediscover ourselves as more brothers and more united, well beyond all imagination! This is the conclusion of the message that Pope Francis has prepared for the next World Day of Peace, and for us of the AMU it is an invitation to return to our roots: the ideal of a United World inspired by the charism of Chiara Lubich . We share the concern of many for the future of humanity , where peace and justice, universal human rights, the environment in which future generations will have to live are strongly compromised, and political commitment at the highest levels no longer seems capable of guiding the processes, but to suffer them flattened on a present conditioned by short-sighted localisms and manipulated by opaque interests such as the structures of sin, recalled in the Pope’s message. We witness dismayed by the unspeakable suffering of millions of innocent people who lose their lives or witness the violent and painful death of their loved ones, who must flee their homeland and find no welcome but only exploitation and depravity. Or those whose dignity and freedom are taken away for having expressed their thoughts, those who see their land devastated by the greed of others, the many who cannot feed their families or care for or educate their children. It is quite understandable to doubt whether it still makes sense to believe and commit ourselves to a United World in this situation, whether our efforts are not vain and illusory, whether the goal is nothing but a utopia and a deception. However, we are convinced that it is precisely now that we must believe in the possibility of “a new world, a world in which we discover ourselves different, more united and more brothers than we would have imagined”: it is a personal and collective invitation that is rooted in the here and now, and that will certainly reach the consciences of many, and restart the hope and confidence that the United World is the best alternative for the future of humanity.
This is our commitment and our wish, with thanks to all those who in different ways and according to their abilities have supported and trusted AMU and its mission to contribute to a United World.
(AMU Board of Directors)
