“It is time to take responsibility.” With this call, Pope Leo XIV addressed participants at the 47th edition of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, held in Rimini, Italy. In the face of a world marked by wars, divisions, inequalities, and crises, the Pope invited them to “change course” and “rekindle dreams and visions,” rather than giving in to weariness and despair.
With the theme “L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle” (“The love that moves the sun and the other stars”), inspired by the final verse of Dante Alighieri’s Paradiso, this year’s Meeting featured gatherings, exhibitions, and activities focused on dialogue about life, society, faith, and the challenges facing the contemporary world.
The Holy Father’s presence was one of the highlights of the program. Upon arriving at the Grand Auditorium at the Rimini Expo Centre, Leo XIV was enthusiastically welcomed by participants. In an impromptu greeting, addressing young people in particular, he said that love is “the force that can truly change the world” and encouraged them to walk together to build a world of peace and love.
Among those attending the event was Fr. Silvio Scopel, International Assistant of the Shalom Catholic Community, who followed the Pope’s visit closely. According to him, one of the aspects that struck him most was the Pope’s enthusiasm at seeing so many young people present.
Pope Leo XIV’s message at the Meeting also emphasized the need to overcome what he described as a “false realism” that, in the face of conflicts and the world’s difficulties, can fuel fear, withdrawal, and a logic of confrontation. In its place, the Pope proposed the realism of mercy and the ability to once again open horizons of hope.
“It is love that moves the world” was one of the central ideas running through the Pope’s reflection, in keeping with this year’s theme. For Leo XIV, the Christian response to today’s challenges does not simply consist in gaining influence or securing positions in society, but in experiencing a life transformed by an encounter with Christ.
The Pope also emphasized that truth can only be found in freedom and that the Church should not view contemporary society as an enemy. Rather, she is called to understand the present, to live within it, and to bear witness to the newness of the Gospel.
At another point during his visit, while meeting young people at the Villaggio Ragazzi, Leo XIV recalled an expression of St. John Paul II: “If today’s world needs anything, it is communion.” The Pope said that this communion also begins among young people through friendship, mutual respect, charity, and a commitment to peace.
The visit to Rimini concluded with the celebration of Holy Mass at the city’s port. In his homily, the Pope recalled that all authority in the Church is called to be service, emphasizing that this responsibility concerns not only the Pope, bishops, priests, and deacons, but the entire People of God.
Throughout his visit, Leo XIV also met with people who are sick, people with disabilities, and people living in poverty who receive assistance from Caritas Rimini. During the meeting, he emphasized that those who suffer should be at the center of the Christian community and invited everyone to take an active role in the life of the Church through parishes, associations, and places of welcome and service.
The Pope’s presence in Rimini thus conveyed a message that extends beyond the Meeting itself: in a world marked by conflict, division, and uncertainty, the Church is called to bear witness that love, lived in freedom and communion, remains a force capable of transforming people and societies.
For the participants, including Fr. Silvio Scopel, the gathering was also an opportunity to renew their awareness that the Christian mission is not carried out in isolation, but as part of one people, called to walk together and communicate God’s love to the world.
About the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples
The Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples was founded in 1980 in Rimini as an expression of the Christian experience of people connected to the Communion and Liberation (CL) movement, founded by Italian priest Luigi Giussani in the 1950s. With the aim of promoting encounter and dialogue on the great questions concerning humanity and society, the Meeting has become, over the decades, an important forum for cultural and religious dialogue, bringing together people from different backgrounds, countries, and traditions. Today, the event attracts thousands of participants and has established itself as one of Italy’s leading cultural and religious initiatives.
