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PASTORAL VISIT BY THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV TO THE "MEETING FOR FRIENDSHIP AMONGST PEOPLES" AND TO THE CITY OF RIMINI

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Rimini  ||  | 22 August 2026
Iniziative (EN) - Maison de la Paix (EN)

Pope Leo XIV’s historic visit to Rimini deeply touched the hearts of the faithful and the town’s residents. Forty-four years after the last apostolic journey by a Pope to the city (undertaken by Saint John Paul II in 1982), the event was met with a warm and moving welcome. 
“It was a moving encounter,” said Secretary-General Michele Capasso, who was present at the event, “because Pope Leo XIV showed his true essence as a Man of Peace, close to young people” .
On his arrival, the Holy Father was welcomed by His Excellency Monsignor Nicolò Anselmi, Bishop of Rimini; Dr Michele de Pascale, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region; Dr Giuseppina Cassone, Prefect of Rimini; and Dr Jamil Sadegholvaad, Mayor of Rimini. Subsequently, after reaching the West entrance of the Exhibition Centre, the Pope was welcomed by Dr Bernhard Scholz, President of the Meeting; by Prof. Davide Prosperi, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation; by Dr Emanuele Forlani, Vice-President of the Meeting; and by Dr Francesco Perazzini, Director of the Meeting; at the entrance to the exhibition halls, the Pontiff greeted the members of the organising committee and the staff.

  • The Holy Father then first visited the exhibition on St Augustine and, immediately afterwards, the exhibition on Leon Harmel. Shortly afterwards, he travelled by golf cart to the Villaggio Ragazzi, where he addressed those present with a few words of greeting, and then to the Auditorium, where he briefly greeted the approximately 5,000 participants at the Rimini Meeting. At the end, the Pope travelled by car to Rimini Cathedral for a meeting with the sick, the disabled and the poor supported by Caritas.
    Among the most significant moments were:
    The embrace with the young people at the Meeting: the Pope urged the younger generations to ‘open the doors of their hearts’ and to reject the ‘false realism that rearms minds and nations’, inviting them instead to invest in brotherhood and peace.
  • The intimate encounter in the Cathedral: the Holy Father dedicated an intimate and moving moment to the sick, people with disabilities and the poor supported by Caritas and the Pope John XXIII Community, emphasising the inestimable value of every single life.
  • The walk through the crowds and Mass at the harbour: in front of tens of thousands of people, the day concluded with a moving Eucharistic celebration in the harbour area, uniting the entire community in an atmosphere of profound celebration and spirituality.