Italian
In his message to the President of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples Foundation, Bernhard Scholz, the Head of State recalled the values of freedom, democracy, and solidarity as the foundation for facing today’s challenges
ROME – The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, sent a message to Bernhard Scholz, President of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples Foundation, on the occasion of the 46th edition of the Rimini Meeting.
In his statement, Mattarella stressed that the Meeting has for decades been “an event that has taken root in Italian society,” capable of offering spaces for dialogue, reflection, and culture.
Recalling this year’s theme – “In deserted places we will build with new bricks” – the Head of State called on people to become “builders of community, of coexistence, of peace, of participation, of solidarity,” emphasizing the need to continually renew the values of freedom, democracy, and the social model.
Mattarella also pointed to the challenges of the present, marked by wars, selfishness, and discrimination, but warned against resignation and indifference: “To build means to set out again on the path of history, even when this requires crossing difficult territories.”
Special attention was given to young people, described as the bearers of the “new bricks” needed to give society a future. “Changing seasons – he said – require new strength, ideas, and energy. It is not true that this risks dispersing values: on the contrary, it allows the deepest values to be transmitted and to bear fruit.”
The President of the Republic concluded by reaffirming that “to build means to have hope,” and that hope is nourished through friendship and solidarity, wishing full success to the 2025 edition of the Rimini Meeting.
