Politics to love more

Early 70s. Sermig meets Giorgio Ceragioli, a leading exponent of the Turin Catholic world and professor at the Polytechnic of Turin. A journey of mutual enrichment begins. In the booklet Active Struggle and Contemplation he writes: «I am among the many friends of the Sermig communities, and I am urged by them, from time to time, to write a presentation, to discuss an initiative, to think if an idea can be proposed new, to interest me in what to do: it would almost be an obsession if it weren't for the way in which Sermig tries to involve all his friends, to shake them from doubts, inertia or tiredness, to try to achieve something together, to impact the harsh social and personal realities that often confront us." Sermig is «a whirlwind of initiatives, a frantic activism that could even be "thrown to the wind" if it were not anchored to prayer, to a serious attempt to be more Christian. The effort to simultaneously build a living Christian community and understand world problems; to become deeply involved in the fight against injustice and to maintain love and faith; to pray and pray while "firing" one initiative after another: this effort is certainly great and leaves its marks".

From the Third World we understand that we must not close ourselves in our little problems, with a selfish perspective, but open ourselves to an education in globality, making family with everyone: we understand that man is the subject and object of sin, often, of limits, which prevent him from seeing his brother, the other man, who is also the subject and object of love. Thus, the value of man emerges, the scandal of near and far poverty, the profound needs of man, the importance of peace.

The poor man challenges us in a personal way, he seeks the solution to his problems at this moment, it is not even enough for him that we take his side without doing anything: he wants to get out of his condition of injustice. Hence the need for everyone to fight against poverty, which is exploitation, oppression, inequality, lack of love.

But peace means fighting against armaments and fighting against armaments means fighting for and with the poor who are killed by weapons: it means fighting for justice which requires us to use the riches, today wasted in building or buying weapons, to eliminate social, cultural and economic barriers and marginalization.
This explains the campaigns against speculation in the medical sector, against abortion, in favor of people affected by natural disasters, against drugs and violence.

How does Sermig deal with situations that arise? First of all, listening - Don't knock comes to mind: it's already open, as the title of a book by Ernesto Olivero calls it -, making the situation one's own, acting with wide-ranging initiatives, from leafleting, to articles in newspapers, to exhibitions with the aim of involving people, to create a movement of opinion that had the right credentials to address institutions and politics.

An example is the "battle" for the control and containment of doctors' fees. It all started with a request for help for a child who needed surgery in the United States. The activities aimed at collecting the necessary economic resources were accompanied by a campaign aimed at health problems and doctors' fees which found strong support in newspapers and public opinion. The child was operated on successfully, and the movement that was created brought a shock to public health, many doctors got involved, proposals were presented to the Ministry of Health from which it is not excluded that other concrete results emerged.

By the editorial staff
NP February 2024