Daniel Comboni
Comboni Missionaries
Institutional area
Other links
Newsletter
The 11th Symposium of Limone reflects on migration and mission
Monday, April 24, 2017
In 2002 the Comboni circumscriptions of Europe formed the European Group of Theological Reflection (GERT) which meets on a yearly basis. Starting in 2006 the group began to organize the Symposiums of Limone in order to reflect on current missionary topics, based on their European economic, social, cultural and religious context. The theme of last year’s Symposium was “Migration and Mission”. Once again, this year about 40 members of the Comboni Family gathered at St. Daniel Comboni’s birthplace in Limone to hold, from the evening of April 18 to the morning of April 22, the 11th Symposium of Limone on the theme of “Migration and Mission. Towards a new Europe: from migrants to citizens.” It was a second Symposium on the same topic in order to elaborate and concretize processes and paths for a more accepting, fraternal and multi-cultural Europe.
In the history of humanity there have always been migrations, but at the present time they have become a particularly relevant and structural phenomenon destined to still last a good number of years in Europe. Therefore, they are an occasion and an opportunity for the presence of the Comboni Family in this Continent to get together and to grow in creativity and in how we read the signs of the time. The objective of the 11th Symposium was to offer a reflection and some indications for the Comboni mission in Europe among and with migrants, both in society and in the Local Church.
On the first morning, Wednesday the 19th, Fr. Benito De Marchi opened the Symposium by summarizing the conclusions of the Symposium of 2016 and the progress made on the theme of Migrations during the reflections of GERT. In the afternoon, the report on three experiences among and with migrants was followed by a short time given to questions and comments. The reports were given by: Fr. Stephane Kamanga, a Comboni missionary from Togo, of the parish of Our Lady of Mercy in Granada, Spain; Anna Maria Menin, a Secular Comboni Missionary, on the Italian cities of Thiene and Vicenza; Sr. Giovanna Sguazza, a Comboni sister, working with migrant women at the Mondo Amico Center of Padua, Italy. All three of them, in different words expressed the importance of acceptance, of listening and of the integration of migrants so that they, too, will find ways of live with dignity.
On the morning of April 20, Camillo Ripamonti, a Jesuit priest, explained the activities of the Astalli Center Foundation, of which he is the director, and offered a theological-pastoral reflection on the presence and service among migrants carried out by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) whose mission consists basically in accompanying, serving and defend the rights of refugees and of other forced migrants.
In the afternoon, the bible scholars Fr. Felice Tenero and Maria Soave offered a reflection on “Migratory Processes in the Bible.” She cooperates with and he works at the CUM Foundation – United Center for the Missionary Cooperation among Churches – of Verona. Both of them worked as “Fidei Donum” missionaries in Brazil.
The last day began with a lecture by Senator Giampiero Dalla Zuanna on “Politics and society: migrants and civil rights, challenges and pathways.” He developed the theme of migrations based on the concept of need (e.g. work force), selection and integration. Recently, Prof. Dalla Zuanna, in cooperation with Prof. Stefano Allievi, wrote a book titled “Everything they never told you about Immigration”.
The Symposium concluded with group meetings followed by a plenary session in order to find directions for the involvement of the Comboni Family with migrants at European level. Shortly, the activities and the conclusions of the Symposium will be published in a single volume.
