RIMINI – Nine hundred thousand visitors, 150 meetings, 13 exhibitions, 13 performances and 3,300 volunteers. These are the figures marking the close of the 47th edition of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini, an edition made memorable this year by the visit of Pope Leone XIV.
Drawing up the final report was Bernhard Scholz, president of the Meeting Foundation. “Responsibility and profound gratitude accompany us as this edition draws to a close. The 2026 Meeting confirmed the historic mission that the Holy Father reaffirmed: to be ‘a crossroads for the Church and for society, a gathering that multiplies encounters and inspires new paths.'”
The Pontiff’s presence was itself one of the event’s central moments. “It was a great celebration, one that exceeded all our expectations, experienced and shared by everyone — children, young people, adults alike — with joy and enthusiasm. We were able to welcome the Holy Father with gratitude, but even before that, we felt welcomed by him,” Scholz emphasized.
Built around the theme “The love that moves the sun and the other stars,” the 2026 Meeting unfolded over six days with a packed program of talks, exhibitions, performances and moments of dialogue. Alongside the 900,000 total admissions, the event relied on the work of 3,300 volunteers, who helped run the organization as well as spaces dedicated to younger visitors, including the Villaggio Ragazzi Yoga and the Enel Sport Village.
The closing report also highlighted the significant role played in the debates by the encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” and by the address the Pontiff delivered in Rimini — a speech that, according to organizers, “will mark a turning point in the Meeting’s history.”
With the 2026 edition now behind them, organizers have already set the date for next year. The 48th edition of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples will take place from 20 to 25 August 2027, under the title “Courageous pioneers safeguarding humanity.”
Source: ANSA.
