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Cardinal Sepe from Barcelona: "A Great Mediterranean for not being on the edge"

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"We must avoid the risk of marginalization of the Euro-Mediterranean region and build alliances among civilizations in the Mediterranean".This was said by Cardinal Sepe, Archbishop of Naples, speaking in Barcelona during the Meeting "Living together in a time of crisis. Family of peoples, family of God", organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Archbishop of Barcelona.

The cardinal noted that facing the globalization process, the seasons of hope in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (activated in 1995 by the European Union with the Barcelona Process) and other initiatives such as the Union for the Mediterranean, with its headquarters in Barcelona, "are today in a stalemate."

"To overcome this critical situation - said the Cardinal - the interreligious and intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean area must be no longer regard as an object of political agendas decided elsewhere, but as the subject of strategies that are the direct expression of the needs of each people."

For the Archbishop of Naples we must "promote a coalition of shared values and interests that will act on the ground of the facts, developing models and programs of moral and material growth in the Mediterranean area".

Thinking about the situation of his Naples, the of Southern Italy and his youth, card. Sepe said that "Reconciliation in the Great Mediterranean area requires first and foremost a search for solidarity and development. We should offer to the youth - continued Sepe - an education and professional training that could reduce, from the beginning, the innumerable difficulties. I have stated it also in Naples last week: we need bread and hope to ensure to our youth their role of "future makers""

Finally, the Archbishop of Naples said that "The construction of a stable Mediterranean society based on shared principles and values is incompatible with the clash of civilizations, the use of strenght and the violent overthrow of international social and political order. Those who preach the evil ideology, who instigate to division, who encourage the oppression, must be morally isolated, especially we will be able to eradicate the seeds of discord, by making people understand that the three great monotheistic religions promote peace and harmony between peoples and that only irresponsible minorities are exploiting religion to spread fundamentalism and terrorism behind which only economic interests often hide themselves."