Pope Leo XIV will make history on Aug. 22 when he visits the Rimini Meeting, becoming only the second pope to attend the international gathering in person after St. John Paul II.
The visit will place Pope Leo in the footsteps of the Polish pontiff, who traveled to the Meeting in 1982, just two years after the annual event was founded. More than four decades later, the gathering continues to bring Christians and people of other faiths and backgrounds together for dialogue on religion, culture, society, science, economics, and other major questions.
According to Vatican News, the Meeting for Friendship Amongst Peoples began in 1980 after a group of Christians in Rimini sought to share what they recognized as beautiful and good within contemporary culture. From its earliest years, the event was envisioned as a place where encounters between people of different cultures and religions could encourage friendship, peaceful coexistence, and a common search for truth.
St. John Paul II personally attended the third Rimini Meeting on Aug. 29, 1982. Speaking to those gathered, he drew attention to the significance of its mission.
“Meeting! A meeting of friendship! Friendship among peoples!” John Paul II said, according to Vatican News, adding that those words carried particular importance “in these often dramatic hours of world history.”
The saint also reflected on the Christian origins of the gathering, pointing to the “passion for communication, creativity, and dialogue” that can flow from a lived experience of faith.
His message culminated in a challenge that remains closely associated with his appearance at Rimini: “The civilization of love! (…) Brothers and sisters, build this civilization tirelessly!”
Pope Leo’s visit will come 44 years after John Paul II’s historic appearance and will mark a significant moment in the Meeting’s more than 45-year history.
According to the program published by the Holy See Press Office and reported by Vatican News, Pope Leo will visit the Meeting grounds and greet participants during his August 22 pastoral visit to San Marino and Rimini.
His time in Rimini will also extend beyond the Meeting itself. The Pope is scheduled to meet people who are sick, people with disabilities, and people living in poverty who receive assistance from Caritas.
The day will conclude with the celebration of the Eucharist at Piazzale del Porto, where Pope Leo will preside over Mass.
The Rimini Meeting is also distinguished by the thousands of volunteers who help make the gathering possible each year. According to Vatican News, volunteers travel from Italy and other countries, paying their own transportation and accommodation expenses while helping prepare venues, assist participants, operate events, and dismantle facilities afterward.
As Pope Leo prepares to become the second pontiff to walk through the Meeting in person, his visit connects a gathering founded by a small group of Christians in 1980 with the Church’s continuing call to encounter, dialogue, friendship, and the building of what St. John Paul II called a “civilization of love.”
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