Cavriglia, Italy—At the mayor’s invitation, on the morning of July 4, 2018, I spoke at my hometown’s annual commemoration of 191 male citizens massacred by the Nazis in July 1944.
On this occasion there were also present the relatives of the five bodyguards of Aldo Moro who were killed in March 1978 during the Red Brigade’s kidnapping of the former prime minister.
After a solemn Holy Mass celebrated by the bishop, there were speeches by county and regional government officials.
Then it was my turn to address the audience of around 300 people, including dozens of mayors, representatives of retired military associations, and police officers.
I started by describing the brutal existence in a North Korean labor camp of UPF founder Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon when he was a young man, and I quoted some parts of his autobiography. Then I talked about the UPF philosophy of peace.
The speech was well received, according to the comments I heard after the event.
After the main event, I was personally invited by the mayor to other side events during the day, including a lunch with the families of the victims of the 1978 Red Brigade massacre.
It was an opportunity to introduce the activities of UPF and look forward to more cooperation in the future.