You can watch live-streaming video of the lighting of Rome's Colosseum in honor of Connecticut's repeal of capital punishment earlier this year. Here's part of the announcement from the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Starting 19:00 at the Colosseum of Rome, there will be exceptional personalities, from Shujaa Graham and Fernando Bermudez, innocent people sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit in the United States, to David Atwood, founder of the Texas Coalition against the Death Penalty, Tamara Chikunova, founder of Mothers against the Death Penalty, responsible for the abolition of capital punishment in many countries of Central Asia, justice ministers from several countries in the world and leading figures in the recent struggle for abolition of the death penalty in Connecticut will take part, along with the Community of Sant’Egidio, in a special evening for life.
Follow the event in live streming on www.santegidio.org
It will be the official inauguration of the International Day of Cities for Life, started ten years ago in Rome with the Community of Sant’Egidio and supported by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Special illumination of the Colosseum, “Testimonial for Life”, this year celebrates the abolition of the death penalty in Connecticut: the fifth American state to abolish capital punishment in the United States in the past five years (2007 New Jersey 2008, New Mexico 2010 New York, 2011,Illinois, 2012 Connecticut).
The event in front of the Colosseum, which will inaugurate the World Day of Cities against the Death Penalty, will be hosted by Max Giusti.
Thanks to Abe Bonowitz for circulating.
Catholic Culture posts, "Italian lay movement continues push for abolition of death penalty," written by Catholic World News.
The Community of Sant’Egidio, one of the most prominent new ecclesial movements, has continued its efforts to abolish the death penalty worldwide by hosting a conference of justice ministers from 20 nations.
“We have started a method that is not just lobbying,” spokesman Mario Marazziti told Vatican Radio. “It is putting together people from civil societies, NGOs, statesmen and women, and people who can make decisions to make a synergy and to cross-impollinate the good things that each one can give to the other one. So we listen with great respect to the difficulties of the ministers of justice that come from retentionist countries, and we can accompany them to overcome the difficulties they face in their nations, to create this tremendous difference that is made by abolishing the death penalty.”
Andrea Riccardi founded the Community of Sant’Egidio as a high school student in 1968; the community has become known for its service to the needy and work on behalf of peace. Approved by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as an international association of the faithful in 1986, the community over the next two decades grew to 50,000 members in 72 nations.
CWN also reports, "Sant’Egidio’s Riccardi named Italian cabinet minister."
Andrea Riccardi, the founder of one of the leading new ecclesial movements, has been named Italy’s minister for international cooperation and integration policies.
Earlier coverage from Rome begins at the link.
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