On 25 June, Mozambique will celebrate the 39th anniversary of independence. As part of the celebrations the government intends to pay tribute to those that have engaged in recent years for the good of the country and for this reason it will confer the title of "honorary citizen of the Republic of Mozambique" to the founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio, Andrea Riccardi, and to Bishop Matteo Zuppi.

This award is to confirm the strong link between Sant'Egidio and the people of Mozambique, with which the Community has come a long way of these years of independence: from the humanitarian aid in the early '80s, marked by civil war, to the crucial role played by Sant'Egidio in the peace process, crowned by the signing on 4 October, 1992 in Rome, to the realization of the DREAM programme for the care of AIDS patients throughout the country. A bond also strengthened by the presence of hundreds of Communities of Sant'Egidio in Mozambique, committed daily to the poor and to peace.