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.

 

CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF EDGAR MORIN

Print

Naples | 29 May 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

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’.”

Read more: ...

“VILLA LAIS READS”: 6TH EDITION

Print

Rome | 28 May 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

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.

Read more: ...

POPE LEO XIV OFFERS EVERYONE A CARESS OF THE HEART

Print

Acerra | 23 May 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

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.

Read more: ...

POPE LEO XIV IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Print

Equatorial Guinea | 21 May 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

A delegation from the “United States of the World” and the “Fondazione Mediterraneo” is taking part in the main events in Equatorial Guinea to mark the visit of Pope Leo XIV, who arrived at Malabo International Airport on the northern coast of the island of Bioko, where he was welcomed with full honours by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo; Immediately afterwards, he made his way to the Presidential Palace accompanied by two colourful wings of the crowd, amidst a whirlwind of music, flags and yellow caps.
“I read in some articles that the people of Equatorial Guinea had decided they did not want to be outdone by their Cameroonian and Angolan neighbours. And so it proved! The people prepared themselves spiritually and practically to welcome their Shepherd, and the joy and liveliness of these days are the result of a great effort by the State and the Church,” testifies Sister Giusy Becchero, a missionary in Equatorial Guinea, in the Province of St Mary Domenica Mazzarello.
In this country, we find two communities of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians – Blessed Eusebia Palomino and Mary Help of Christians – founding members of the “United States of the World”. All of them took part in the events in the city alongside the people, whilst the young people and groups participated with the parishes.

Read more: ...

THE FIRST COPY OF THE SUM YEARBOOK 2026 PRESENTED TO “MAREVIVO”

Print

Rome | 18 May 2026
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

During a meeting at the headquarters of the “MAREVIVO ETS Foundation” in Rome, in its historic premises on the banks of the Tiber, Secretary-General Michele Capasso presented the President of “Marevivo”, Rosalba Giugni, with the first copy of the “2026 Yearbook of the United States of the World” as a token of esteem and recognition for her exemplary work in protecting the marine environment and, more broadly, biodiversity.

Read more: ...

More Articles...