From March 6 to 8, 2026, the “Youth in Dialogue: Fraternity as a Bond of Peace” meeting was held, organized by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, in collaboration with the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. The event is part of the preparation for World Youth Day 2027, which will take place in South Korea.
The meeting took place in Turin (Torino), Italy, at the Arsenale della Pace, a space originally built for military purposes that, since 1983, has become a center dedicated to solidarity, including support for people experiencing homelessness, interfaith dialogue, and the coexistence of peoples.
The event was opened by Cardinal Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa, and Rosanna Tabasso, President of Sermig (Servizio Missionario Giovani). Also in attendance were Monsignor Indunil Kodithuwakku, Secretary of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and Gleison de Paula Souza, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.
The Shalom Catholic Community was represented by Father Luiz Augusto and Larissa Jansen, from the Lugano mission (Switzerland), and Simone Ciliberti, from the Rome mission (Italy). Participants also included representatives from various religious traditions, including Buddhists, Muslims, and Jews, as well as young people from several countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
During the meeting, participants engaged in group discussions on topics such as universal fraternity, political charity, care for our common home, and the building of a “disarming” peace. The program also featured a testimony from Cardinal Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar, Bishop of Setúbal (Portugal) and organizer of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023.
For Father Luiz Augusto, the meeting was an opportunity to experience communion with the Church and participate in reflections relevant to the contemporary world:
“As a charism of peace, we must be involved in discussions on building peace through dialogue and fraternity. It is also important to recognize in the human heart the same thirst for God present across different religions.”
He also emphasized the importance of this theme for Shalom missions outside Brazil:
“This is especially important for the Community’s missions abroad, where there is constant engagement with this reality. As coordinator of the University Pastoral in Lugano, for example, I work with more than five thousand students from over one hundred countries, representing diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.”
Over the two days of the event, participants reflected on how to promote interfaith dialogue and on the internal and external obstacles that can hinder fraternity among peoples. They also shared practical experiences and concrete initiatives in interreligious dialogue. The meeting was marked by a spirit of listening, fraternity, and openness to discussion, reaffirming the shared commitment of different religions to the pursuit of peace.
