Twelve lunches, 1000 poor people at the table: this is the Community of Sant'Egidio's Christmas of solidarity in Naples and Campania. Today, in the Basilica of Saints Severino and Sossio, over 250 poor people celebrated Christmas together with Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Archbishop of Naples: elderly people living alone, the homeless, disabled people, foreigners, Roma families, "lonely people," the Community announced, "who on Christmas Day found a larger family to gather around." Other lunches were held in the Scampia district at the church of the Redemptionists, in the Fuorigrotta neighborhood at the church of Sant'Antonio Ardia, in the historic center at the churches of Nicola al Nilo, San Gennaro all'Olmo, and Santa Maria delle Grazie a Toledo, in Borgo Vergini at the church of Santa Maria Succurre Miseris, in Vasto at the church of Sant'Anna, and in the chapel of the Central Station. Again, at the Cristo Re Institute and at San Giovanni a Teduccio, and in Aversa at the Church of San Domenico. The invitation to lunch "was good news and gave dignity to those who received it: everyone was called by name and each received a personalized gift. It is a sign of a friendship that lasts all year, with many visits that transform the days of those who are alone and without prospects," the group emphasizes. Numerous volunteers, over 500, also participated in the lunches from various parts of Campania. "Christmas is a celebration that brings light and illuminates the many dark places, the many places of pain," explains Antonio Mattone, spokesperson for the Community of Sant'Egidio. "But Christmas is also a celebration of generosity. In recent days, many have asked to help, expressing their need to do something for others. As of yesterday evening, they had written to the Community to participate and joined at the last minute. So this table of so many lonely and family-less people, together with people of good will, aims to be that light that brings joy and hope to lives marked by poverty and suffering. A sign of a more humane city that leaves no one behind."
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