Blog

In 2015, faced with the tragedy of thousands of refugees fleeing death, war and hunger who were, just as they are today, on their way to a new life, Pope Francis made a strong appeal asking everyone to be "next" to the many forgotten brothers and sisters.

The John Paul II Foundation and the Villa Pettini Family Point made the pontiff's admonition their own, so thanks to the generosity of the Franciscan Minimal Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the Prefecture of Arezzo, which made available the premises of Villa Pettini in Montevarchi (Ar), Bethesda (House of Mercy) an Extraordinary Reception Center that currently houses five families seeking political asylum was born in February 2016.

Due to the success of Bethesda House, we also initiated other projects; Caritas Humanitarian Corridors and the reception of Ukrainian refugees.

Caritas Humanitarian Corridors.

are the tool that allows legal and safe entry into Italian territory for asylum seekers; they make it possible to avoid tragic sea voyages and counter the business of criminal organizations and human traffickers.

To date we have taken in 6 families from Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan for a total of 36 people.

Welcoming Ukrainian refugees

The Foundation has opened two Reception Centers for Ukrainian refugees; one in Montevarchi thanks to the solidarity of the Augustinian Sisters and one in Fiesole thanks to the collaboration of the Rogationist Fathers and the Prefecture of Florence. In total, the Foundation takes in about 40 Ukrainian women and children.

The services that our guests use are:

-Accompaniment in administrative paperwork

-Italian language and intercultural mediation courses.

-Psychological support and legal counseling

-Professional training courses

-Employment and schooling

Complementary projects of the macro strategy of reception in Italy