Commemorating September 11: Message from President Franco Pavoncello

This Sunday we will be commemorating the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. We all remember watching those horrifying images of planes crashing into the Twin Towers, of innocent people jumping to their death to avoid fire, of the two massive structures crumbling into dust, bringing thousands of innocent lives with them. The entire world, probably for the first time, witnessed together this tragic blow to the United States, which many felt as a blow to themselves, to the very nature of civilized life.

It appeared to many then as if the culture of death and terror might prevail, that indeed the world could become a nightmare of anomic violence and senseless murder.

But after 10 years the army of terror is on the defensive, its leaders killed or forced into hiding. Even more, the very masses who were supposed to join their ranks have risen against their oppressors at home, not in search of more blood, but in search of freedom, of human dignity, of a future for their younger generations free of humiliation and prevarication.

Freedom, human decency and the aspiration for a better life do not belong to a single country or civilization. They are the common heritage of all humanity, and if we can see a message at ten years from 9/11 it is that the world is becoming increasingly aware of that truth, and has now the means to communicate it freely and across the globe.

As we contemplate these developments, and take solace in them, our thoughts and prayers go to those innocent victims and to their families, whose sacrifice and pain is still vivid in our minds and hearts after a decade.

Rome Remembers September 11

For the tenth anniversary of September 11 the city of Rome has organized two concerts, a film screening and a photo exhibit. All free events.
For more information: Images and Music in Memory of the 2001 Attacks