Rome (NEV), March 25, 2018 – The financial office of the “Kirchentag” – the traditional gathering of the German Protestant churches, held last year at the end of May in Berlin and in Wittenberg – made known the figure of the closing worship service collection: 156’000 Euros, to be divided, as it was previously announced, between the “humanitarian corridors” program of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI), promoted in partnership with other subjects, and the German NGO “SOS-Méditerranée” for its search and rescue actions at sea with the “Acquarius” ship.
“The Kirchentag’s choice highlights how the humanitarian corridors and the rescue at sea are the two sides of the same coin”, affirmed FCEI’s president, pastor Luca Maria Negro. “The commitment of the Federation of Protestant Churches is to maintain a high focus on the need for protection of the most vulnerable migrants, both through the humanitarian corridors (the next are expected from Lebanon on the 27 and the 28 of March), and the rescue at sea”.
The FCEI, with its Mediterranean Hope migration project, recently participated in sea rescue activities in collaboration with Proactiva Open Arms, the NGO currently under investigation by the Catania Public Prosecutor’s Office. The FCEI, in a press release issued on March 19th, expressed its solidarity with the NGO, hoping to be able to resume the collaboration with Open Arms, as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, at the port of Pozzallo (Ragusa), on Saturday, March 24, the FCEI organized together with the House of Cultures-Mediterranean Hope of Scicli and the local Methodist Church, a manifestation of solidarity for the crew members of Open Arms. To save lives and guarantee humanitarian relief is not a crime, but a principle of humanity and civilization.
