A delegation from various countries of the United States of the World with thousands of young people "Standard Bearers of the United States of the World" participated in the XXXVIIth WORLD YOUTH DAY scheduled to take place in Lisbon from 2 to 6 August 2023.
Secretary-General Michele Capasso recalled the importance of this meeting at this difficult time in human history and Portugal's role in the dialogue and peace process.
"It is a moment that I live with joy -  Capasso said - because of the presence of so many friends who have shared the path of the Fondazione Mediterraneo and the United States of the World from the very beginning: from the Rector Major of the Salesians Angel Fernandes Artime to the Ambassador of Italy in Lisbon Carlo Formosa, from Don Luigi Ciotti to the Presidents of the Republic of Portugal visiting the headquarters in Naples, from the many actors committed to charity to the young people from various countries who are defenders of the EARTH and PEACE.
"The presence of the Holy Father is fundamental, catalytic, - concluded SG Capasso - since his arrival at the Figo Maduro Air Base in Lisbon, the Holy Father Francis has been welcomed by the President of the Republic of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and two children in traditional dress offered him flowers. From here an endless series of meetings and appointments that will leave a mark in history".

The United States of the World with the Fondazione Mediterraneo and the Academy of the Mediterranean commemorated founding member Father Paolo Dall'Oglio on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his abduction in Raqqa on 29 July 2013.
Founder of the monastic community of Deir Mar Musa, Father Paolo is a tireless witness to peace and dialogue between the different religious denominations in Syria.
"Ten years have passed since his kidnapping, - said Secretary-General Michele Capasso, a close friend of Father Paolo, - and so many are the memories and actions that have marked years of collaboration for dialogue and peace. I am still moved today remembering when, in order to convince Muslims and Catholics to dialogue at a difficult time of clashes and controversies, I disguised myself as Father Christmas to defuse the tension: Paolo understood and, with a complicit look, urged me to continue. Paolo did not like to tell himself stories, and when we awarded him the Mediterranean Award he hugged us tightly, saying that this recognition was for the entire monastic community and not for him".
On this occasion, the message of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella was read out:
"Ten years have passed since the kidnapping in Syria of Father Paolo Dall'Oglio. Since then, no news has been able to refresh the hope of his survival. On this day that renews the pain and, with it, the memory of a generous man who gave all of himself to solidarity, dialogue, and helping those most in need, I wish to express my deepest feelings of closeness to his family and to those who share with them the agony of waiting.
Paolo Dall'Oglio, a witness and builder of peace, has ensured that his religious faith has never been expressed as a reason for conflict. His life has always been an unceasing drive to seek sharing, encounter, justice, unity, in the name of the person, of every person, of his integrity, of his inviolable dignity. He has challenged prejudices and regimes, lived with the poorest, courageously travelled the deserts and territories of conflict, hatred, oppression, to bring hope and humanity.
However helpless they may appear, peace witnesses are protagonists of history. The memory of their presence and their passage must be kept alive, even more so at a time when the wounds of war are bloodying the Middle East and our Europe"
Videos, documents and images of meetings with Father Paul from 1998 to the last one in 2013 were shown.

Pescasseroli is increasingly becoming a cultural centre and the "pride" of the "United States of the World" for having understood its message since 2010 by creating the monumental work "Totem for Peace", symbol of the United States of the World.
In the Council Chamber of the Municipality of Pescasseroli, in the presence of Mayors and authorities of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park Community - many of them "Ambassadors" and " Standard Bearers" of the United States of the World - the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano inaugurated the 18th edition of the Benedetto Croce National Culture Award.
It is the culmination of a journey that takes place throughout the year, in various places in Abruzzo and in the classrooms of schools, where students and teachers read and express their opinions on the selected books, which were then presented to the members of the jury.
"The Croce Prize is a historical journey - said Pescasseroli's mayor Giuseppe Sipari, introducing the meeting - it is a true cultural journey, itinerant, that has touched several cities and involved dozens of student populations, making it an excellent vehicle for reading for young people. Therefore, not just a celebratory event, but a meeting that restores importance to the topicality of Croce's thought and its modernity".
"Pescasseroli is an extraordinary centre of cultural vitality - said Secretary-General Michele Capasso, who has been frequenting the Abruzzo resort for over 45 years - here culture goes hand in hand with nature".
Among the prize-winners was journalist and writer Titti Marrone - a long-standing supporter of the Fondazione Mediterraneo and the United States of the World - with her book "Se solo il mio cuore fosse pietra".
Minister Sangiuliano said: "Why Croce? His cultural action is a hymn to the freedom of people, it is a recognition of the value of the human, through culture that makes us better and makes our whole society better".

A delegation from the United States of the World has issued an Appeal from Montreal to the world's rulers to make immediate decisions to halt climate change that is causing enormous damage and may lead to the extinction of the human race.