Before going to the Koekelberg basilica this Saturday, September 28 in the morning in Brussels for the meeting with the bishops, Pope Francis passed through the parish of Saint-Gilles to share breakfast with poor people and migrants. . They were able to share their life story and a moment of conviviality with the Holy Father.
Xavier Sartre – Special envoy to Brussels (Belgium)
The table is set in the middle of the Saint-Gilles church, in the Brussels commune of the same name. Thermoses of coffee and baskets of croissants are set out. All around, nine people welcome Pope Francis. They have been battered by life, have had life journeys that have led them to help their neighbors, they have crossed the Mediterranean in the hope of a better life. All are helped or collaborate within the mutual aid of Saint-Gilles, the social work of the parish of this popular commune of Brussels.
“Thank you for the invitation to breakfast! It’s nice to start the day with friends”declared François after listening to the presentation of the work of mutual aid and three testimonies including that of Christian, a Cameroonian who made the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean aboard an inflatable boat. Arriving in Lampedusa, he ended up going to Belgium. A street child, he recounts to the Pope the most dramatic moments of his journey through Nigeria, Algeria and Tunisia, the violence suffered, the abuse, his prayer and his song raised to Mary to survive the elements: “If the sea rages, if the wind blows, if the boat carries you away, do not be afraid of death, He did not say that you would sink, He did not say that you would sink, He said: “let’s go to the other side”.
The Doe of Saint Gilles
Arriving in Saint-Gilles, where there is a long tradition of social assistance both from the Church and local authorities, he was able to benefit from the support of the parish’s mutual aid. Christophe Six, its administrator, details the actions: “On a daily basis, we receive between fifty and a hundred people every morning, mainly homeless people who find a place here to rest, to drink a cup of coffee, sometimes breakfast, or in winter to warm up. In the afternoon, social workers help them with their administrative procedures and their housing requests. Mutual aid welcomes anyone without any special conditions. We are really open to everyone.”
To finance itself, in addition to parish collections, a beer, La Biche de Saint Gilles, is produced on site by parishioners and those assisted, sold by neighborhood stores and purchased by residents. Four bottles were also offered to the Pope who greeted “everyone’s creativity”.
“The joy and strength that come from shared love are greater than all difficulties, and each time we engage in the dynamic of solidarity and mutual care, we realize that ‘we receive much more than we give’commented François. He recalls, by offering a statue of Saint Laurent, that “the Church has its greatest wealth in its weakest members, and if we really want to know and show its beauty, it will be good for us all to give ourselves to one another like this, in our smallness, in our poverty, without pretension and with a lot of love.
