On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the famous conference "On the evils of Rome" strongly supported by Don Luigi, we report here an extract of his considerations.
(…) Here we discover the true origin of the meeting of the Christians of Rome on the expectations of justice and charity which took place from 12 to 15 February 1974. The city is not seen and felt as the most significant moment of a commitment and circulation of values community; it is almost never seen as the physical support walled in by the spirit of charity; it is instead seen as a place of consumption of values, of something that, no one knows who, must give to everyone for their needs and aspirations. Consumer religion and the city as a consumer environment.
From this awareness was born the idea and the need for a meeting, of an assembly type, which would offer all the components the possibility of the diocesan community of Rome, of a reflection on the city and on the responsibility, the duties that, for every Christian , arise from faith in the face of the community. The mobilization and animation of the entire Roman ecclesial community was the underlying objective of the conference, aiming to constitute an internal, personal and community awakening, to be placed before any further operational application.
The announcement of a meeting of the Christians of Rome on their city was accompanied by an analysis of the situation of the city, an analysis which had an enormous impact and gave rise to interpretations and controversies that were sometimes out of place. The meaning of the analysis is very different from an easy and sterile denunciation. Massive deformations have so upset the physical, social and moral aspect of the city of Rome that its inhabitants find it difficult to recognize themselves in it. The image of a city that has grown too quickly and in the name of selfishness and speculation presents a density of implications and problems of this kind on the urban planning and territorial planning level, on the transport and traffic level, on the of equipment and civil services, that the ongoing process risks downgrading the way of life of a population, compromising the very level of civilization.
If we try to overcome the moment of denunciation, although necessary if aimed at reconciliation and conversion, and address the issue of a precise search for responsibility, the public administration certainly cannot escape the recognition of its insufficient presence; the constraints and directions of the economic power protagonist of certain choices will be identified, but it will also be necessary to take note that certain experiences of exploitation perpetrated against the city are also the result of the absenteeism and selfishness of many, of that euphemistically called majority «silent." A silence which, if it is not always consensus, is, however, a form of apathy, of lack of vigilance, of renunciation of responsibility, of renunciation of commitment.
This situation cannot fail to be analyzed if we want to begin a work of renewal and reconciliation for a different city, not through moralistic discourses, but with profound changes in behavior and social and economic structures.
It is clear that this is a starting point, a prophetic gesture. In the final words of Cardinal Poletti, the underlining of the spirit of the meeting returns, that is «to examine, in each of us and therefore also as a community, whether or not the Church in the city of Rome is fully a leaven of salvation". On Holy Thursday 1971, in this same church, Paul VI asked the Christians the question: «Can we say that the Church of Rome excels in charity?".
The discourse, then, is and wants to be a discourse of «conversion" and not of social and political controversy. We want a different city, a new city, which belongs to everyone because it was made by everyone. A city that is the city of dialogue, between its citizens, between faith and technology, between aspirations and commitments, between Church and city, between bishop and local Christian community, rediscovering in this dialogue the specific vocation of the Pope's Diocese to be at service of dialogue with all the local churches scattered around the world.
Monsignor Luigi Di Liegro
From «The magazine of the Italian clergy», March - April 1974
Rome 19 February - Fifty years after the conference on the "Evils of Rome", on 19 February in the Conciliation Hall of the Lateran Apostolic Palace, the Diocese of Rome proposes a new moment of listening and discussion entitled (Dis)equalities .
The event will see the interventions of the cardinal vicar Angelo De Donatis, the president of the Lazio Region Francesco Rocca and the vice-mayor of Rome Silvia Scozzese; by Don Federico Corrubolo, professor of modern and contemporary history at the Ecclesia Mater Institute; by Andrea Riccardi, historian and founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio; by Giuseppe De Rita, sociologist and founder of Censis; by Luigina Di Liegro, general secretary of the Don Luigi Di Liegro International Foundation; by Pierciro Galeone, vice president of the Don Luigi Di Liegro International Foundation; by Giustino Trincia, director of Caritas in Rome.
Rome, 28 December 2023 - In this article Luigina Di Liegro, general secretary of the Di Liegro Foundation, highlights the "Christmas depression" and the importance of assistance to those suffering from mental distress. Remember the commitment of Don Luigi Di Liegro, founder of the Diocesan Caritas of Rome, for the continuous support of those in need. He thus takes this opportunity to announce the start of the 2024 courses of the Di Liegro Foundation to train volunteers and families in the mental health support network.
“I believe that our solidarity is simply a channel through which people must realize God's solidarity with man. I believe in the celebration of God in the sacraments, which ultimately is the celebration and contemplation of this infinite love of God for man, especially for man who feels desperate, defeated even by the conflicts and tensions of life. And God sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to become incarnate in these problems, to incarnate himself in this story of desperation and hope, to help man realize that God is not far away, but is always incarnate, he is now a God present, that is, a God who becomes the servant of man”.
Don Luigi, 6 April 1990
Christmas occupies a central place in the thought and action of Don Luigi Di Liegro. It refers to the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus, through which God enters the history of people, makes himself visible, becomes close. Starting from this mystery, God - to use Don Luigi's words - is no longer an abstract principle, an idea, but a reality which can be experienced. You can hear God, you can see God because he became man in Jesus. The humanity of Jesus is the face of God. This mystery - which is at the center of the Christian faith together with the great mystery of the Trinity, which is the mystery of relationship - however for Don Luigi it is not something that concerns only God. This mystery of God's becoming neighbor towards man concerns us too from that moment on. Because we too are now called to be neighbors, to incarnate ourselves, to bring love into the concrete lives of people, into their needs, into their questions. Which we must first of all discern, know how to recognise. Because through our closeness, through our presence, through our sharing, people can also today, where they are, experience the love of God that saves. Which saves every time sharing, brotherhood, takes the place of solitude. Thus we understand why for Don Luigi charity was never just a question of clothes to offer, of packages to donate. Charity is not enough to save people, it is only love that saves. But to reach people, God's love needs our love, our presence, our incarnation. The credibility of Christmas passes through each of us.
Sansepolcro, 7 December 1996
I willingly participated in this event because I believe that we will come out of it with encouragement to be peacemakers and to be able to appreciate the sacrifice that many make to be workers of solidarity and justice in everyday life. The meaning of this celebration is somewhat to exalt some figures who, certainly, not only spoke, but above all gave their lives for the realization of this very high ideal, which is that of peace. Very high ideal, but also quite evanescent: I believe that working for peace means first of all, making some awareness, making commitments that lead us to be able, day by day, in all the events that touch us, or strike us, to discern an appeal to peace, understood as a right but also as a duty. An awareness that also leads us to see not so much theoretically (not because I am not a lover of theory), but concretely the relationships, the interdependence that exists between us and the phenomena of injustice and inequality. Phenomena, these, which lead us to verify the situation of non-peace that exists in our society and in the world.
Becoming aware of the close dependence that exists between us and others means understanding that peace depends on everyone and certainly that peace cannot be made with slogans. We must know how to promote a culture of peace that depends on discerning the history we are living. That is, it means entering into the events of history, of this era in order to be able to see responsibility in a negative and positive sense. Responsibilities that affect us directly and, from this awareness, from this discernment, the culture of peace is born, that is, the culture of dialogue, the culture of relationships. It is not classical culture, made up of notions or theses, which also serves to increase sensitivity in us, but that knowledge of historical experiences and a historical heritage that becomes a point of reference for everyone. It is enough to spend a few hours here in Sansepolcro to see how this cultural and historical heritage that can be read in this city is essential for promoting a humanistic culture on Man. However, we must also take into account that we are the ones who are the supporters and promoters of a culture. I intend this as a basis for being able to make our life a life that is dedicated in the most radical way possible to the service of others. I believe that peace does not yet exist, because there is not this culture of knowing how to see in others, not an enemy, an adversary, a person to be destroyed, but the same dignity that I defend in myself, seeing my own same rights. We spoke earlier about this large assembly organized by the UN in Rome. Here it was imagined to define eating as a right: I use this word because there are people who cannot eat, perhaps even in our towns, in our cities, increasingly in Rome for example. Americans have not agreed to define eating and nourishment as a human right. So I want to say that probably our commitment that was born this evening, and today is nourished and encouraged, is precisely this becoming aware that the Other different from me has the same rights that I have: the right to work, to respect, to integration and I would say, to culture, the right to respect for its cultural, religious and social identity. In this we have forgotten that the Constitution also made the recognition of rights a commitment to guaranteeing the rights themselves.
It seems to me that some in parliament are working to avoid continuing to declare that work is everyone's right, that culture is everyone's right: some argue that the Constitution cannot continue to declare this. We know that even if stated, many rights are violated on a daily basis. Politics is less and less available to guarantee the rights that are written down. But perhaps these rights are written too high to avoid banging our heads and I would say that every day we should bang our heads where these fundamental rights are not only not guaranteed but, even, we want to give up recognizing them for the future. I think there are concrete examples where the commitment to spreading the culture of peace is needed: I am not just referring to immigration into our country which brings cultural and religious differences between us, different identities which are also cultural riches. If we become aware of this richness we can defeat fear which is the opposite of peace. Because fear foments violence. We are peacemakers: but what happened in the Senate and then in Parliament after the declaration or promise to regularize 240,000 immigrants who had applied, that is, the proposal of vacatio legis which would have been the shame of the Italian State towards many countries considered developing? We are far from being promoters of peace when we talk about these differences if they cause us to change our mentality. In our country I have seen many people who say they belong to the left-wing culture and then they rage on this issue of immigration and then, we no longer know what the left-wing culture is and we can no longer understand what it means wedding ring. When others who are different from me are not accepted, then I cannot continue to say that I want peace. Where social differences and above all cultural, ethnic and religious differences are not accepted as an asset, they cause a challenge to solidarity, a commitment to participation in the common good which is always the good of each and all. And I return to Rome encouraged by the testimony that today is rewarded in the noblest sense of the word, because I believe that we who witness this celebration of the awarding of an award are more rewarded than those who receive it. Because this presentation of an award has nothing rhetorical: it simply has the motivation to say that we need witnesses like them, to make the world a more peaceful world, that is, more just and more supportive.
Father Luigi Di Liegro
Rome, 12 October 2023 - we remember the passing of our Don Luigi, which occurred 26 years ago. On this occasion, the Holy Mass in his memory was held, concelebrated by the vicegerent of the diocese of Rome Baldo Reina, by the auxiliary bishops Benoni Ambarus - former director of the diocesan Caritas, now delegate for Charity - and Riccardo Lamba - delegate to the hospitable Church and outgoing -, the current director of Caritas of Rome Giustino Trincia also participated.
Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic
Don Luigi Di Liegro, Founder and Director of the Roman Caritas, has left signs that resist the passing of decades. Concrete works that still bring relief and comfort to the most needy and marginalized. Paths of friendship and sharing on which many people, many young people, have set out, following his example. Testimonies so strong and demanding that they represent a permanent challenge for the affirmation of citizenship rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
25 years after his death, his tireless work as a builder of solidarity, as a tenacious and coherent witness of those human values which are the foundations of life for the community remains an inestimable wealth for Rome and Italy.
Don Di Liegro offered and asked everyone to share. He indicated the dignity and rights of the poorest as a necessary horizon for authentic social growth. It promoted the meeting between solidarity workers so that their network and their values were clearly visible to institutions, politics and society. I extend my warmest wishes for today's initiatives promoted by the Foundation and I ask you to convey a cordial greeting to all the participants in the Conference.
Roberto Gualtieri, mayor of Rome
Don Luigi Di Liegro was an extraordinary person for the city, the country and humanity. A prophetic testimony, of the ability to decipher and read man, the presence of God and the future in people's present, as a reminder of the sense of responsibility of people and citizens.
Di Liegro said that if we don't start from the most fragile, even the biggest projects will fail and for this reason we, who have great opportunities for innovation to regenerate our city with the Pnrr and Expo, will not be able to seize them if we don't start from the rights of the most fragile and the weakest. The city would remain more torn and unjust and it would not be possible to modernize it.
We are trying in our policies to be consistent with this vision but we know that if we have to do more, we will never be able to do it alone, without a co-planning and activation network that expresses the social and civil capabilities of this city whose legacy It is part of Liegro, representing a resource for us and for the Romans
very important.
Erica Battaglia, President of the Culture and Work Commission of Rome Capital
He simply defined himself as a priest, but in reality he was much more: he was Don Luigi, builder of solidarity networks, radical thoughts and shared action in support of those in the city experiencing profound social hardship. On the 25th anniversary of his death, the Foundation that bears his name did well to remember him with a conference in the Protomoteca room in the Campidoglio. He was not only the founder of Caritas of Rome, but also a strong stimulus to a generation of volunteers and local administrators. He was the creator of the first network to combat the social emergency and proposed a method of action that went beyond mere welfare: he asked himself where the 'system' had failed to work on the causes of inequalities and social exclusion. In the famous conference on the 'Evils of Rome' he put down on paper the institutions' delays in interventions
benefiting people at high risk of social exclusion and on the outskirts. It was 1974, but that reference to the high and useful sense of the institutions is still valid. Monsignor Di Liegro once again urges all of us to 'be careful', as he said. To get our hands dirty, not to favor oases of peace, but rather strong places because they 'provoke solidarity and radical interventions'. As a municipal councilor of the capital I owe a lot to those words often unheard by politics and I truly hope that her words and works become an intimate heritage of anyone who holds a political office.
The life of Father Luigi Di Liegro, founder of the diocesan Caritas of Rome, represents one of the highest pages in the ecclesial and civil history of the city of the second half of the twentieth century. Remembering him, 25 years after his death, means retracing a story that intertwines the commitment of citizens, volunteers and parish priests, in a journey into the growth of a civil conscience capable of responding to the needs of the poor and marginalized. The innovative and far-sighted nature of the services he created has shaped the welfare of the citizen and the country, with the activation of listening centers, clinics, collection and distribution centers for medicines, hostels and canteens for homeless people.
A story of justice, rights and inclusion, which will be explored on October 12th in the Sala della Protomoteca in Campidoglio, during the event 'Don Luigi Di Liegro, the relevance of a vision. 25th anniversary of his death'. In the evening, at the Basilica of the Holy XII Apostles, a mass will be celebrated in memory of Don Luigi di Liegro, presided over by His Eminence Card. Matteo Maria Soups, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and concelebrated by Monsignor Riccardo Lamb, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Rome.
The introduction of the works is entrusted to Paolo Conti, Councilor of the Don Luigi Di Liegro Foundation. Following the interventions of the HE Mons. Angelo De Donatis, Vicar General of His Holiness at the Diocese of Rome, of Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome, of Maurizio Longhi, President of Banca Credito Cooperativo di Roma, by Lorenzo Tagliavanti, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and of Father Sandro Barlone, President of the Di Liegro Foundation.
The first session of the works is entitled 'Mercy and truth will meet, justice and peace will kiss' and is moderated by Andrea Monda, Director of L'Osservatore Romano, and will count on the participation of Toni Mira, Editor-in-Chief of Avvenire, by Andrea Riccardi, Founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio, by Francesco Rutelli, former Mayor of Rome and of Claudia Terracina, journalist.
The title of the second session is 'By their fruits you will know them', moderated by Paolo Accounts, with Ruth Dureghello, President of the Jewish Community of Rome, Abdellah Redouane, General Secretary of the Mosque of Rome, Francesco Rock, President of the Red Cross, Claudio Snipers, General Director Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, Carlo Constantines, Secretary of the CISL of Rome, Francesca Danish, Spokesperson of the Third Sector Forum, Daniela DeRobert, Member of the Board of Authority Guarantor of the rights of persons deprived of personal liberty, Leonardo Magnani, President of the Culture of Peace Association, Luca Pacini, Head of the Welfare and Immigration Area of the ANCI, Giustino Shredder, Director of Caritas, Father Camillo Ripamonti, President of the Astalli and Luigina Center By Liegro, General Secretary of the Di Liegro Foundation.
PLAN
Conference "Don Luigi Di Liegro. The relevance of a vision"
Capitoline Hill, Protomoteca Hall
9.30 am | 11.00 - Introduction and greetings
Paolo Conti, Board Member of the Don Luigi Di Liegro Foundation
H. Em. Card. Angelo De Donatis, Vicar General of His Holiness Diocese of Rome
Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome
Maurizio Longhi, President of the Banca Credito Cooperativo di Roma
Lorenzo Tagliavanti, President of the Rome Chamber of Commerce
Father Sandro Barlone, President of the Di Liegro Foundation
FIRST SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE "THE TIMELINESS OF A VISION"
“Mercy and truth will meet, justice and peace will kiss” - Ps 85,11
Moderator: Andrea Monda, Director of L'Osservatore Romano
They intervene
Toni Mira, Editor-in-Chief Avvenire
Andrea Riccardi, Founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio
Francesco Rutelli. former Mayor of Rome and journalist
Claudia Terracina, Journalist
11.15 am | 1.00 pm - SECOND SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE "THE TIMELINESS OF A VISION"
“By their fruits you will know them” - Matthew 7,16/20
Moderator: Paolo Conti, Board Member of the Don Luigi Di Liegro Foundation
They intervene
Ruth Dureghello, President of the Jewish Community of Rome
Abdellah Redouane, General Secretary of the Mosque of Rome
Father Camillo Ripamonti, President Centro Astalli
Francesco Rocca, President of the Red Cross
Claudio Cecchini, General Director of Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi
Francesca Danese, Third Sector Forum Spokesperson
Daniela de Robert, Member of the Board of Authority Guarantor of the rights of persons deprived of personal liberty
Leonardo Magnani, President of the Culture of Peace Association
Luca Pacini, ANCI Welfare and Immigration Area Manager
Giustino Trincia, Caritas Director
Thanks and regards: Luigina Di Liegro, General Secretary of the Di Liegro Foundation
Basilica of the Holy XII Apostles - Piazza dei Santi Apostoli
7.00 pm - SS Mass in memory of Don Luigi Di Liegro
Presided by: H. Em. Card. Matteo Maria Zuppi, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference
The RomEnsemble Vocal Group will accompany the Holy Mass.
This year too, for over twenty years, on 12 October, in the Basilica of the Santi XII Apostoli, a Holy Mass in memory of Don Luigi Di Liegro, who passed away in 1997, at the San Raffaele in Milan, at the age of 69. This year the Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Archbishop Giampiero Palmieri, Vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome and animated by the musicians of the Church of San Patrick, in which many people participated: young and old, friends and acquaintances, representatives of associations and religious people, and it was the opportunity to remember the "priest of the poor", or "of charity", as Don Luigi was often called.
In the homily Monsignor Palmieri recalled, among other things, with great effectiveness, an aspect of Don Luigi's life, the experience in Belgium. It was 1958, he was a young thirty-year-old priest, eager to learn first-hand about the conditions of the Italian emigrants who worked in the coal mines, and this was a significant and decisive lesson for the pastoral path of the future Director of the Roman Caritas, which was completed with knowledge of the JOC (the Christian Workers Youth) and its founder. the Belgian Monsignor Joseph Leon Cardijn, appointed Cardinal in the 1965 Consistory precisely for his commitment to the JOC which had now spread throughout the world.
Furthermore, the figure of the "great Roman priest" was remembered at the end of the Eucharistic celebration by Alessandro Romelli, former general secretary of the Don Luigi Di Liegro International Foundation, who retraced the moments and salient acts of the priest's pastoral commitment, which taught to be workers of justice and charity, and to be able to concretely address problems to build the common good.
Rai on the Third Network recalled the figure of Don Luigi Di Liegro, in the Blob show, on the day of his death with a video in memory and the testimonies of Don Luigi Ciotti, Founder of Libera, Sergio Zavoli, journalist and former President of Rai, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Rome and former Director of the Roman Caritas, Guerino Di Tora, where Don Di Liegro is interviewed on the issue of the 1991 Pantanella clearance.
This is why remembering the "priest of charity" and asking ourselves about his pastoral testimony is always a help for those who are committed to overcoming the inequalities that are increasingly present in the Roman reality. In the events that life reserves for each of us, there are complex situations, such as uncertainty and fear of the future, moral degradation and widespread social discomfort, and in the face of new poverty, knowing the figure of Don Luigi Di Liegro can help us understand how to overcome the difficulties that many people, men and women, encounter on a daily basis.
"Thinking" about how he managed to address the issues, which still today represent a source of tension in large urban communities, and Rome is an example, means talking about immigrants, homeless people, the homeless, terminally ill AIDS patients, worn out, unemployed and today those whose living conditions have been radically changed by the pandemic have been added. It's about undoubtedly fragile people, on whom Di Liegro in his pastoral and charitable commitment lavished his energies to find solutions, restoring hope and dignity to those who are considered the last, and as Pope Francis calls them, the discarded of society.
“Christian commitment and territoriality” in the Diocesan Conference of February 1974, commonly defined as “the conference on the evils of Rome”, were the fundamental themes addressed by over 5,000 participants and approximately 550 interventions, involving the entire Roman community, where Don Di Liegro was a protagonist and animator, subsequently promoting the birth of the Diocesan Caritas of Rome of which he was the founder and first director. It is no coincidence that the Roman Caritas, in over 40 years of existence, is considered a fundamental pillar in the capital for helping the less fortunate.
In this sense the testimony and priestly action of Don Luigi Di Liegro, inspired by great evangelical sentiments, towards those who found themselves in need and suffering, became an example not only in the Christian community, but in civil society, in the institutions, in the forces social and cultural. This is why we remember: he was "the priest of charity", an example that lives in the memory and works of those who knew him and those who heard about him.
In this time a group of friends of the founder of Caritas of Rome, including some from the Parish of San Leone I al Prenestino, believe it is right to start a collection of testimonies on Don Luigi Di Liegro, and if possible hypothesize the canonical procedure of the Causes of Saints.
Finally, it is necessary to remember that Don Luigi was born in Gaeta on 16 October 1928. It comes naturally to remember his 93rd birthday, because his spirit is always in the hearts of many people and his teaching is very timely, even in moments that seem hopeless.
Luciano Di Pietrantonio
In the recent Caritas 2021 report, the new poverty in the city of Rome emerges. In 48.7% of cases, the new people (7,476) who turned to parish centers are Italian, followed by Filipinos (16.3%), Peruvians (4.9%), Romanians (4.7%) and 97 other nationalities. In 64.4% of cases, the representative of the family who crossed the threshold of the counseling center for the first time is a woman. 54% of new members are under 45 years old. Dramatic and eloquent figures.
Whoever will be the new mayor of Rome will immediately have to face, among the first emergencies, that of new poverty. Pope Francis reminds us that "no one is saved alone": a perfect expression as a very secular warning for restart of the city, to leave behind the disaster in which we are struggling.
On Tuesday 12 October the Di Liegro Foundation organized a mass celebrated by archbishop Gianpiero Palmieri, vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome, for remember Monsignor Luigi Di Liegro 24 years after his death, Don Gigi for everyone, who founded the Diocesan Caritas of Rome in 1979.
Monsignor Palmieri said: «Don Luigi Di Liegro had a profoundly biblical vision of the city: a place where men live together, a collective body in which we are all called to participate. A living body that asks to be honored
by each of its members."
Also a very secular reminder. Rome can and must start again but it cannot and must not leave anyone behind.
From the Corriere della Sera of 18 October 2021
