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MEETING WITH RABBI ELHANAN BECK, RABBI HAIM SOFER AND AMBASSADOR MONA ABUAMARA
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12 June 2026
The Secretary-General of the United States of the World, Michele Capasso, the Director of the Museum of Peace, Pia Molinari, and the delegate of the SUM Council of Ambassadors, Giuseppe D’Antonio, met the two rabbis, Rabbi Elhanan Beck and Rabbi Haim Sofer, at the organisation’s headquarters in Naples, accompanied by the Palestinian Ambassador to Italy, Mona Abuamara.
On this occasion, the initiatives undertaken by the United States of the World in support of Palestine and Gaza since 1990 were outlined.
MEETING WITH THE MOTHERS OF GAZA
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12 June 2026
A meeting with the mothers of the victims from Gaza took place at the Museum of Peace and the United States of the World.
Their testimonies, which spoke of a grave affront to humanity, were deeply moving.
In attendance were the Palestinian Ambassador to Italy, Mona Abuamara, Secretary-General Michele Capasso and the Director of the Museum of Peace, Pia Molinari, who presented the "Mothers" programme organised by the United States of the World and the book "Diari di Guerre. Gaza".
POPE LEO XIV IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
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11 June 2026
After visiting Madrid and Barcelona, Pope Leo XIV concluded his fourth seven-day apostolic journey to Spain in the Canary Islands.
A delegation from the ‘United States of the World’ and the ‘Mediterranean Foundation’, hosted by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Salesian Family – founding members of the ‘United States of the World’ – took part in the various stages of the papal visit’s programme.
DAY FOR DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILISATIONS
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10 June 2026
The “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” are participating in and supporting the “Day for Dialogue Among Civilisations”, designated by the United Nations and celebrated on 10 June each year.
“It is an important initiative,” emphasised Secretary-General Michele Capasso, “to affirm the fundamental role of dialogue at a time when we are instead overwhelmed by arrogance and the law of force.”
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.