Maison de la Paix || Casa Universale delle Culture (EN)

 

 CASA UNIVERSALE DELLE CULTURE

The Maison de la Paix - Casa Universale delle Culture is a place strongly representative, in which will convey the knowledge of the different identities and cultures, structuring permanently initiatives aimed at the spreading of peace, necessary for the shared development.

The Maison de la Paix - Casa Universale delle Culture (MdP) is a project conceived by Michele Capasso, approved by many Countries and international organizations. It is an architecture that keeps the memory of many Peace activities which created history, often more than the wars, but it is – above all – a space "to build” Peace.

The architectonical complex has an important symbolic worth: it represents the Countries of the World engaged in the Peace process and the Countries victim of the conflicts.

Proposed by the Fondazione Mediterraneo with the “Maison des Alliances” – together with the main adherent organizations, such as the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, the League of Arab States, the "Anna Lindh" Euro-Mediterranean Foundation and others, the MdP represents a referent point for all the ones who dedicate their lives to peace.

The symbol of the MdP is the "Totem for Peace", an artwork by the Italian sculptor Mario Molinari which the Fondazione Mediterraneo is promoting all around the world, creating the network of the "Cities for Peace".

The first seat of the MdP was inaugurated on the 14th of June 2010 (Maison de la Paix - Casa Universale delle Culture) in the historical building of the Grand Hotel de Londres in Naples.

The action of the Maison de la Paix - Casa Universale delle Culture aims at improving the main activities of the "Universal Forum of Cultures" in: Barcelona (2004), Monterrey (2007), Valparaiso (2010) and Naples (2013).

The Maison de la Paix performs most of the initiatives jointly with the Maison de la Méditerranée.

 

FEAST OF ST FRANCIS

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Assisi | 04 October 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

A delegation from the “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” took part in the Feast of St Francis, patron saint of Italy, in Assisi.
“The speech by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella,” said Secretary-General Michele Capasso on the occasion of the National Feast of St Francis of Assisi and the 800th anniversary of his death, “touched all our hearts. The presence of dear, close friends, such as Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime (former Rector Major of the Salesians and a founding member of the ‘United States of the World’) and Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, reinforced the intimate and family-like atmosphere of the ceremony.”
“In these times marked by senseless and cruel wars, by so much violence, manipulation and arrogance – as Pope Leo XIV said a few days ago – the hope,” President Mattarella emphasised, “is that the sun of Francis may illuminate the world, convert minds hardened by hatred, and point the way to peace, hope and serene, fraternal coexistence.”
In the Papal Basilica of St Francis, the Head of State attended Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, and witnessed the lighting of the votive lamp of the municipalities of Italy by the Mayor of Assisi, Valter Stoppini.

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THE AMERICA’S CUP IN NAPLES CAPTIVATES THE WORLD

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Naples | 27 September 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

The America’s Cup pre-regatta, which concluded on 27 September with a victory for ‘Luna Rossa’, captivated the world with the beauty of the Gulf of Naples and the city’s warm welcome.
A team effort that demonstrates the importance of working together for the common good.
From the headquarters of the Maison des Alliances of the United States of the World, the spectacle was extraordinary.

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POPE LEO XIV IN LOURDES AND METZ

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Lourdes and Metz | 26 September 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

A delegation from the ‘United States of the World’ and the ‘Fondazione Mediterraneo’ took part in Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lourdes and Metz.
In the Grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette, “no vulnerability is rejected”, because “it stands as a sanctuary of Christian hope”, in the face of “current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in the face of illness, suffering or old age”. So said Pope Leo XIV in his homily during the Mass celebrated on the Prairie of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, before more than 150,000 faithful, in which he emphasised that, at this historic moment, “within a society in search of progress and material well-being”, but which at times attempts “to forget the horizon of eternity, Mary comes to remind us of the greatness and significance of our vocation to life, to eternal life”.
Before the celebration, from 10.00 am, following his meeting with the French bishops, Leo XIV travelled in the popemobile along the avenues of the Esplanade to the basilicas of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Immaculate Conception, and then past the Grotto to the Prairie, greeting the pilgrims and hugging some children, as if at a large general audience at the Vatican. He then made his way to the sacristy behind the large altar platform, a white structure with three arches at the front and others on all sides.

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POPE LEO XIV’S APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO PARIS

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Paris | 25 September 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

A delegation from the “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” – led by Secretary-General Michele Capasso – took part in the key events of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France: the first apostolic journey by a Pope to this country in 18 years.
“Of particular significance,” said Secretary-General Capasso, “is the celebration of the Eucharist in Place de la Concorde: a place consecrated to secularism. During the service, Pope Leo invited French Catholics to move beyond a faith lived out in private, saying: ‘Strive to rediscover a radiant horizon, to build a renewed nation starting from its roots nourished by faith. Do not keep your faith in Jesus Christ solely for yourselves, but let it overflow to quench the thirst and fulfil the needs of the people you meet. It is up to you to bring hope where discouragement and spiritual aridity reign’. These words of the Pope, in a secular country where baptisms are nevertheless on the rise, are a sign of a profound change summed up in the Pontiff’s concluding remarks: ‘Indeed, it is by accepting to live in the truth under the gaze of Jesus that we can be authentic’”.
A vast crowd welcomed the Pope at the Place de la Concorde, which he reached in the popemobile after passing through the Arc de Triomphe and travelling the entire length of the Champs-Élysées. Estimates put the number at 800,000 people, and there is no precedent for such a crowded Mass in the centre of Paris.  The French President’s wife, Brigitte Macron, also attended the ceremony.

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POPE LEO XIV’S VISIT TO UNESCO

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Paris | 25 September 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

On 25 September 2026, Pope Leo XIV paid an official visit to UNESCO at the invitation of the Organisation’s Director-General, Khaled El-Enany. During this visit, the Pope delivered a solemn address before the entire international community and the UNESCO family. This was the first visit of its kind in over 40 years, following the historic address delivered by Pope John Paul II at UNESCO in 1980.
A delegation from the ‘United States of the World’, led by Secretary-General Michele Capasso, attended the meeting.
“Our organisation,” said Secretary-General Capasso, “has always had strong ties with UNESCO: this is evidenced by the visits of Directors-General to our headquarters in Naples, including Director-General Irina Bokova. The presence of Pope Leo XIV demonstrates the Vatican’s focus on the major issues of today: artificial intelligence, young people, peace and interfaith dialogue.”

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