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POPE LEO XIV IN BARCELONA: “SPREADING SOLIDARITY BEYOND POLARISATION”
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09 June 2026
Pope Leo XIV spent two days in Barcelona, from 9 to 11 June. The first day was devoted to the Midday Prayer, followed by the Pope’s address during the prayer vigil at the Olympic Stadium. The following day (10 June) he visited the Brians 1 prison and recited the Rosary at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, a Benedictine monastic complex some 50 km from Barcelona, which houses the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat, also known as ‘La Moreneta’, proclaimed patron saint of Catalonia in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. This was followed by a meeting with representatives of the diocesan charitable and welfare organisations at the Church of Sant Agustí and Mass celebrated at the Sagrada Família (on the day marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudí), with the inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ.
“I am thrilled to be here in Barcelona, the city where the Fondazione Mediterraneo began its work forty years ago,” said Secretary-General Michele Capasso, “but I was even more struck by the power of Pope Leo XIV’s words when he stated that ‘gratuitousness is superior to the logic of profit’.”
The Pope arrived at the “Lluís Companys” Olympic Stadium in Barcelona this evening for a prayer vigil and a dialogue with a group of young people. The stadium, which has a capacity of 55,000 spectators, is full. Near the stadium, Leo XIV blessed a convoy of ambulances and humanitarian vehicles bound for Ukraine, thanks to a humanitarian corridor organised by the Dominican nun Lucia Caram, of the Convent of Santa Chiara in Manresa, known internationally as Sister Lucia for her humanitarian initiatives.
POPE LEO XIV IN MADRID
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06 June 2026
A delegation from the “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” took part in the key events of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Madrid.
Secretary-General Michele Capasso summarised the highlights of the pastoral visit, stating:
“I was deeply moved because Spain is a country of great significance to us. As if in a film, I saw many friends who have supported the ‘United States of the World’ for 40 years: Cardinals Parolin and Artime, King Felipe VI, and Pope Leo XIV himself. I was struck by the calm power of his words, when, for example, he said: ‘… a just society defends every human life, the poor, peace, freedom…’. But I felt great emotion during the seven-minute standing ovation from the members of the Spanish Parliament following the speech by Pope Leo XIV, the first Pontiff to visit the Congress of Deputies, the seat of the country’s institutional, legal and democratic life. He calls for peace through the courage of negotiation, denouncing rearmament in Europe and the world: ‘True security stems from respect for international law’. He called for the defence of life and the family, as well as the protection of religious freedom. He asked for concrete responses to the migration crisis to ensure reception and integration.”
The visit was packed with many significant moments: from the meeting with the institutions to that with the Augustinians; from Holy Mass to the Vigil with young people; from the visit to Caritas to the meeting with the world of culture and art; from the Corpus Christi procession to the meeting at the Bernabéu Stadium with the diocesan community.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO ANTONIO DURANTE
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05 June 2026
President Michele Capasso and Pia Molinari, Director of the MAMT Museum of Peace, presented a number of gifts to Engineer Antonio Durante in recognition of his collaboration and kind assistance with the Foundation’s files.
CLOSING CEREMONY FOR THE EXHIBITION “SARAJEVO-SREBRENICA: NOT TO FORGETWE FORGET”
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03 June 2026
One year after its opening on 6 June 2025, the closing ceremony was held for the exhibition “Sarajevo-Srebrenica: not to forget”, hosted on the fifth floor of the Peace Museum.
The Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amira Arifović-Harms – who attended the ceremony with her husband, Dragana Maksimović and other representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina – emphasised the importance of the exhibition in ensuring we do not forget one of the greatest tragedies since the Second World War, with over 200,000 dead and more than 2,000,000 displaced.
President Capasso, visibly moved, highlighted the role played since 1990 by the Fondazione Mediterraneo and the United States of the World in helping the populations of Srebrenica and Sarajevo affected by the conflict.
During the tour, the group visited the Mosque, the Churchill Room, the Nativity Scenes, the Sphinx and other poignant sections that make the Museum a unique place, a World Heritage Site.
A DELEGATION FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA VISITS THE MOLINARI SECTION AND THE MUSEUM OF PEACE
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03 June 2026
Amira Arifović-Harms visited the section of the Museum of Peace dedicated to Mario Molinari, where she was welcomed by President Michele Capasso and Pia Molinari.
She was particularly moved by the copper sculptures “Falconer of the Half-Moon” and “Egyptian Woman”, created by the great sculptor in 1977 and 1995.
During the tour, they visited the Mosque, the Churchill Room, the Nativity Scenes, the Sphinx and other evocative sections that make the Museum a unique place, a World Heritage Site.
AMIRA ARIFOVIĆ-HARMS RECEIVES THE “MEDITERRANEAN DIPLOMACY AWARD 2026”
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03 June 2026
During a ceremony at the headquarters of the “United States of the World” in Naples, the “Mediterranean Diplomacy Award 2026” was presented to Amira Arifović-Harms, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Italy.
The citation – read by Luisa Faraone Mennella, a lawyer and member of the “United States of the World” – states, among other things:
Amira Arifović-Harms has built her professional career with dedication, guided by a strong sense of responsibility: she has carried out important duties with competence, integrity and perseverance. In particular, she has worked tirelessly to preserve the memory of the victims of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina more than thirty years ago.
As a champion of women’s equality, she is committed to ensuring that gender equality is not merely a matter of rights, but the foundation of a just society, in the belief that the world progresses when women have equal opportunities to make decisions.
The prestigious award – consisting of the ‘Totem of Peace’ by sculptor Mario Molinari, a symbol of the ‘United States of the World’ – was presented by Secretary-General Michele Capasso and Dr Pia Molinari, director of the Museum of Peace.
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF EDGAR MORIN
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29 May 2026
The Secretary-General, the Council of Ambassadors, the Executive Board, the representatives of the branch offices, the International Scientific Committee and all members extend their deepest sympathies to his wife Sabah and all his family following the death of our dear Edgar Morin, a great philosopher but, above all, a close friend and guiding figure for the “Mediterranean Foundation” and the “United States of the World”.
The statement issued for this occasion reads:
“Edgar Morin and Michele Capasso have been linked by a cultural and intellectual partnership spanning over thirty years, centred on the promotion of dialogue, peace and the idea of a shared future for the peoples of the Mediterranean. The French philosopher Edgar Morin and the architect and essayist Michele Capasso have been collaborating since the 1990s through the Fondazione Mediterraneo, which has its historic headquarters in Naples. Together with other figures who founded the foundation with them – from Predrag Matvejevic’ to Gerardo Marotta, from Oscar Nicolaus to Mauro Ceruti, from Massimo Cacciari to Umberto Eco – they have launched numerous appeals for peace, including the historic appeals for the victims of the former Yugoslavia and Gaza.
Morin is a leading member of the International Committee of the “United States of the World” and has spearheaded high-profile initiatives such as the “Averroès Chair of Advanced Mediterranean Studies – UNESCO”, based in Marrakesh.
The link with Capasso and his associates is based on a shared commitment to the principles of “complexity” developed by Morin, to the extent that the two institutions have collaborated on the activities of the “Edgar Morin” Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Complexity.
The relationship between Morin and Capasso combines Morin’s sociological and philosophical analysis with the diplomatic and cultural work on the ground carried out by Michele Capasso, with consistent stances in defence of brotherhood and against global conflicts.
The bond was further strengthened in Marrakech, where Edgar Morin delivered a memorable series of lectures from 2 to 7 March 2000 – as part of the “Averroès Chair” – entitled “Penser la Méditerranée, méditerranéiser la pensée”.
“Edgar,” says Secretary-General Capasso, visibly moved, “drew energy from the other side of the Mediterranean as well. To escape the winter gloom, he would move to Marrakech every winter with his wife Sabah, enjoying the serene sweetness of life. From this second home, he kept his thirst for knowledge intact, continuing to follow the daily news and reply to messages, under the watchful eye of his wife. Resilient and passionate about history, he summed up his insatiable intellectual appetite thus: ‘Whether in Paris or Marrakech, I have never ceased to be curious about the world of which I am a part’.”
EXHIBITION: ECOSINTONIA. REGENERATING LIVING ENVIRONMENTS. THE "CARRÉ BLEU" COLLECTION
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29 May 2026
Two events were held to accompany the exhibition, curated by prof. Pica Ciamarra.
“VILLA LAIS READS”: 6TH EDITION
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28 May 2026
For four days, Villa Lais – one of the most beloved historic parks in the area between Appio Latino and Tuscolano – will once again be filled with books, talks, music and words, including the launch of Michele Capasso’s books *Diari di guerre. Bosnia* and *Raffaele, il Sindaco*.
The programme will feature book presentations, readings, workshops, discussions between authors and publishers, and talks on the environment, rights, memory, urban planning and contemporary social change. An event that takes culture beyond traditional venues and restores the central role of public space as a place for meeting, participation and community building.
POPE LEO XIV OFFERS EVERYONE A CARESS OF THE HEART
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23 May 2026
In Naples on 8 May 2026, whilst blessing visitors to the emotional exhibition dedicated to Pope Francis – located on the ground floor of the headquarters of the United States of the World and the Museum of Peace – Pope Leo XIV established an ideal link with his predecessor and, in particular, with the encyclicals “Laudato sì” and “Fratelli tutti” promulgated by Pope Francis.
And on the very occasion of the eleventh anniversary of “Laudato sì”, the Pontiff came to Acerra to gather everyone’s sorrow and hope.
The SORROW of mothers and fathers who have lost children due to the poisoning of the land – once known as “Campania Felix” – perpetrated by unscrupulous criminals.
The HOPE of the many young people determined to be seekers of the positive and builders of our future.
And so images such as the little boy playing the violin in church before the Pope, or the many mothers and fathers showing him pictures of their sons and daughters killed by pollution, confirm the indispensable role of FATHER that Pope Leo XIV reinforces more and more each day, uniting in an ideal and physical embrace with the People of God.
A delegation from the ‘United States of the World’ and the ‘Mediterranean Foundation’ – which have always been committed to the Land of Fires – took part in the event.
“We thank the Holy Father for what he does and for the precious gift he offers to us all, especially at this difficult time in our history when an immense famine of love and a self-destructive selfishness are infecting the whole of humanity,” said Secretary-General Michele Capasso.