Europarliamentarians Invited to be “evangelized” by the Poor?

ROME, JULY 30, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A Catholic aid group has invited members of the European Parliament to spend 10 days living and working with poor and marginalized persons.

The proposal was made by Renzo Fior, president of the Emmaus Community which assists the homeless, as well as the founder, Abbot Pierre, one of the most popular personalities of France.

The parliamentarians will be able to help Emmaus members in their work of restoring secondhand furniture, repairing old clothes and collecting goods the community receives as donations.

The European Parliament has just been recently elected as of June 10-13.

“At the beginning of their mandate, the European parliamentarians will need to orient themselves: to learn laws, procedures, the new Constitution, old unresolved problems … and take language courses,” explains a statement published by Emmaus Community in Italy.

“We are certain that the experience of a poor, sober life, of concrete work, and especially one of sharing the life of persons who have had or have difficulties of all kinds, will complement decisively the human and political formation of those who are called to administer Europe to guarantee the common good,” it concluded.

See Zenit athttp://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=57628