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Newsletter Editorial 27-2026
Rays of light from around the world, among the clouds of the present
Lampedusa, Rimini, Sant’Etienne, Uganda and many other places around the world. Two women, a doctor, a priest and many youth. There are different places and many people at the heart of our September 2026 newsletter, dedicated to the themes of peace and human rights. Each one tells us a story of hope born from a wound. There are war, terrorism, the deaths at sea of those seeking a future, poverty and injustice at the origin of the stories we narrate this month. There are the wounds of our time, from which, however, the protagonists of the stories we have encountered have drawn rays of light to help us believe in the future, to encourage us to improve the world.
Two women are at the centre of a precious story of forgiveness. Dono Rosaline Hamel and Nassera Kermiche, featured in Samuel Lieven’s beautiful book Sisters in Pain, presented at the latest Meeting in Rimini. The first is the sister of Father Jacques Hamel, murdered in 2016 in his church in France, in Sant’Etienne, by two young jihadists while he was celebrating Mass. The second is the mother of the terrorist who killed the priest, herself becoming a victim in the attack. He was killed together with his accomplice. These two women could have filled their destiny with hatred, but instead, through dialogue, they arrived at forgiveness, transforming their tragedy into love and peace.
From the island of Lampedusa, in the heart of the Mediterranean, comes a story that addresses the issue of migration with great humanity. From this place, which over the years has been marked by much suffering, a Network has emerged that seeks to counter prejudice and hate speech in order to promote a narrative based on truth, human dignity and the rights of migrants. The project is called Rete Lampedusa (Network Lampedusa) and among its main promoters is Pietro Bartolo, the doctor who for many years provided assistance to migrants on the island.
Peace, human rights and other important, fundamental values are at the heart of the powerful story of Fr. Leonsyo Akena, also known as Ribamoi: the Ugandan priest who risked becoming a child soldier, but instead filled his human and spiritual mission with love, unity, support for the most vulnerable, dialogue and hope for a future of harmony among peoples, tribes and individuals. We narrate Don Leoncyo’s story in the generous interview he granted us.
Together to Care is a document that brings together experiences, projects and good practices from around the world, bearing witness to the commitment of the youth to caring for people, the planet and the common good. With the subtitle, for our human family and our common home, this report was produced by Youth for a United World of the Focolare Movement (Y4UW, one of the promoters of the United World Project) and recounts their work together with New Humanity NGO and the Focolare Movement, following the Genfest in Brazil. Many of the initiatives described in Together to Care originated from there, and reading it reveals a beauty that gives strength and hope. We narrate the whole story in our article.
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