Some 250 Brothers, Sisters Hospitallers, Co-workers and guests in our care attended the International Congress on Social Inclusion held on Friday, 16 June, in Vienna, organised by the Brothers of Saint John of God in collaboration with the Sisters Hospitallers.

Throughout Europe, the Brothers of Saint John of God and the Sisters Hospitallers are actively engaged in a multitude of services and projects to promote social inclusion in order to enable disadvantaged people ( by disabilities, homelessness, mental illness, etc.) to play their part in professional and social life.

The congress was opened by the Austrian Health Minister, Johannes Rauch. In his speech, the minister emphasised how important it is to enable socially disadvantaged people to play a part in every sphere of social life.

The first European Congress on Social Inclusion was the brainchild of the 'Social Inclusion Working Group' of the Order of St John of God's Europe Commission. The Working Group's remit is to encourage the exchange of know-how and initiatives, as well as to implement joint plans for the European Provinces in the field of social inclusion. The Sisters Hospitallers' centres and services also participated in the event. General Councillor Brother Joaquim Erra, President of the Europe Commission, who moderated the congress, remarked: "With this congress we are sending out a clear signal in favour of inclusion in Europe. It is no longer a matter of integrating a small minority into the so-called 'normal' majority. Rather, it is about shaping society in a manner in which no-one is excluded or marginalised because of their diversity'.

A packed programme of presentations, testimonies, reports and videos from all over Europe gave the participants the opportunity to share their own experiences and perspectives, discuss them and learn from each other.