Community of St. Egidio

On our last day in Rome, we talked about modern Catholicism and its successes in failures in integrating itself in the world. Changes in thought mirroring the protestant reformation came around 400 years later than Luther, and did manage to "throw open the doors of the church". The mass in native language, the priest facing the congregation, and a new understanding of indulgences all contributed to a more accessible church. Other doctrines worked on areas of inter-religious and ecumenical dialogue. Many lay people, however, did not feel like they had much say in their church and church community. A few organizations popped up, one of the most influential of which was the Community of St. Egidio. It started as 14 students gathering for a quick reflection on a bible passage and has grown to an international movement advocating for the poor, asking Catholics to be conscious of prayer, increasing ecumenical dialogue and abolishing the death penalty. Their official website provides links to their various causes and more information on their international (and inter-faith) day of prayer.
Ever since second semester Amcon I've been thinking about the role that religion plays as a social organization. The Catholic church saw an increased success when it opened itself to the global context, attempting to address issues that effected members beyond theology. In a similar way, the Community of St. Egidio took the movement one step further. They created that social capital within their small group, and then expanded it to the rest of the world. I would argue that if the Catholic Church wants to remain relevant they must make similar moves to the community.