Thousands of Christians have marched through Milan’s city centre carrying banners exclaiming that “Jesus is the light”, and “Jesus gives you freedom”.
The “March for Jesus” event, attended by about 5,000 people, proceeded through some of the city’s most famous streets and ended outside Milan Cathedral, where groups performed dances and songs. The event, dubbed by many as a “Joy March”, was organised by the Evangelistic Network in Mission (REM) in collaboration with churches and mission organisations, according to Evangelical Focus.
Salvatore Capritti, who worked on behalf of REM to organise the march, told en that it was set up to declare that Jesus is the church’s true joy, and to provide the church with a more public presence in an era which features marches for a variety of social and political causes.
He said: “The purpose of this event is to unite the churches once a year and to be an impact in the city. In Italy we are still not known, so being public helps the nation to know more about the evangelical church. In a world of war and crisis, Christ is the answer. People march for any reason, even immoral [ones]. I think the church should be more public and visible and share the love of God without shame.”
