Naples – In a city preparing for the holiday lights, there's a table that grows larger so as not to leave anyone out. It's Christmas for the Community of Sant'Egidio, which this year is deploying a massive solidarity effort in Naples and Campania: eight Christmas lunches for 750 people in need, supported by the energy of 300 volunteers.
A map of solidarity: from the center to the peripheries
The heart of the event will beat on December 25th at 13:00 PM, with the traditional gathering at the Church of San Pietro Martire, in Largo Bonghi. But the celebration won't be confined to the historic center. Fraternity tables will also be set up in Fuorigrotta, Scampia, and San Giovanni a Teduccio, extending as far as Aversa.
The initiative's hallmark is not just care, but personal dignity: each guest will find a personalized gift at their place, with their name written on the envelope, delivered by Santa Claus. A symbolic gesture to reaffirm that, for Sant'Egidio, no one is a number or "invisible."
Beyond the bars and on the margins
This year's solidarity has decisively crossed the threshold of Campania's prisons, involving the highest city and religious authorities:
December 22 (Poggioreale): A special lunch for 150 inmates will be attended by Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, a sign of institutional support for those experiencing deprivation of liberty.
December 29 (Secondigliano): Cardinal Don Mimmo Battaglia will sit at the table with the inmates, bringing a message of hope and redemption.
The program doesn't stop on Christmas Day. Traveling dinners for the homeless are planned for December 24th and 31st, while on the days leading up to them, the "Schools of Peace" and volunteers will reach lonely elderly people and Roma camps not only in Naples, but also in Caserta and Salerno.
A sign of peace in difficult times
Sant'Egidio's commitment will culminate on January 1st, World Peace Day. In the Cathedral square, after the Mass celebrated by Archbishop Battaglia, the names of the countries ravaged by conflict will be read, along with firsthand accounts from those who fled the war.
"In a time marked by rising poverty and ever-deepening loneliness, this Christmas aims to be a concrete sign of hope," the Community explains. In a Naples reeling from the contradictions of the crisis, the Sant'Egidio table remains the last bastion against indifference.
Changes and revisions to this article
- Article updated on 19/12/2025 at 13:19 PM - Improved image quality
- Article updated on 19/12/2025 at 13:22 - Corrected a typo
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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