Rimini Meeting: A Celebration of Faith, Culture, and Unity

In the late 1970s, a group of friends in Rimini, inspired by their Christian faith as well as their political and social activism, wanted to explore and share the beauty and goodness in contemporary culture. This led to the creation of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in 1980, an event designed to foster dialogue and peace between people of different faiths and cultures. From a group of few friends,The Meeting quickly grew into an annual gathering where political leaders, business figures, religious representatives, intellectuals, artists, and athletes come together for discussions, exhibitions, performances, and sports events. Every year, in the last week of August, Rimini becomes a hub of international culture, drawing a diverse audience eager to engage with the world’s most pressing issues.
Volunteers are the heart of the Meeting, with thousands coming from Italy and around the world each year, paying their own way to organize and manage the event. Their selflessness shows that generosity is a real and attainable value. The Meeting promotes openness and mutual respect, welcoming diverse perspectives, including those of different faiths. It addresses a wide range of global topics and engages in dialogue with institutions and organizations, reflecting its broad cultural and humanistic approach.
The theme of this year’s Meeting poses a profound challenge to everyone, including the many Italian and European politicians present: “If we don’t seek the essential, what are we seeking?” In other words, if what motivates us each morning isn’t the ultimate desire of our hearts, then what are we living for?If in our political or professional activities we don’t keep alive the dream of a better, freer, and more just world, then why expend so much energy, and for whom?
During the event, there were many opportunities to explore this important question. Among the most attended initiatives were the exhibition on the founder of Europe, Alcide De Gasperi, and the panels featuring parents of Jewish and Palestinian children killed in the conflict, part of "The Parents Circle," who demonstrate every day that coexistence is possible. Another notable panel was titled “If you want peace, prepare for peace,” which included a discussion between Ukrainian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviychuk, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kyiv Visvaldas Kulbokas, and the director of the Ukrainian NGO Emmaus, Anastasia Zolotova.
At the end of this intense week, we return home grateful for an experience that helps us start the new year on the right foot, aware that the Meeting is the mature fruit of the ideals that also permeate the activities of our European community. Thus, “United in diversity,” our motto, becomes a communal experience to be proud of. In today’s world, shaken by unjust conflicts and increasing polarization, the Meeting reminds us of what we, as European citizens, must defend with all our strength: the freedom to meet, to dialogue, to seek creative solutions, and to forge new synergies among peoples, cultures, and traditions—all striving toward the same “essential.”