Speech (extract) by Andrea Riccardi

Speech (extract) by Andrea Riccardi

‘Yes, Europe has a mission. I think of Africa […]. A painful and rich history connects Europe and Africa. Yet many European countries are pulling away from Africa. […] I very much believe in the dream of Senegal’s President Senghor, a man of both the European and the African culture: Eurafrica, two continents that are united on the same level and that need each other. […] Europe is united despite all its differences and the culture of living together has become reality. This culture is missing in the standardized and flattening world of globalization which reacts with the fight of different cultures and religions. It is missing from an inhuman economy devoid of humanity. This culture of living together is our answer to terrorism and fundamentalism.’

Photo Andrea Riccardi

Andrea Riccardi