At 7pm this evening, the Holy Father Francis presided over the rite of the Opening of the Holy Door and the Mass on the Night of the Solemnity of the Lord's Birth. During the Eucharistic Celebration, after the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, the Pope delivered the homily that we reproduce at the links below. A delegation from the "United States of the World" and the "Fondazione Mediterraneo" took part in the ceremony.
The city is increasingly strengthening its natural role as a city of dialogue and peace, thanks to the 40-year commitment of the "United States of the World", which with its headquarters in Piazza Municipio represents 181 countries and over 16,000 civil society organisations committed daily to safeguarding the earth, maintaining peace and ensuring social justice. Even the symbol, the "Totem for Peace" by sculptor Mario Molinari, sees its presence in Naples - a unique case - in five symbolic places: the headquarters of the "United States of the World", Palazzo San Giacomo, the Nunziatella military school, the Capodimonte seminary and the square in front of the maritime station. The latter monumental work, 20 metres high, was inaugurated by Pope Francis on 21 March 2015 and contains the urn with the relics of the Unknown Migrant: soon, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary, an additional urn will be placed with the relics of the victims of the many wars and conflicts around the world. In the Parliament of Rabat, Morocco, one of the first works of the "Totem for Peace" was placed between the main entrance and the office of King Mohammed VI in 2010: In recent days, a delegation of the "United States of the World", led by Secretary-General Michele Capasso, in the presence of the Ambassador of Italy to Morocco Armando Barucco and the highest officials of the Assembly of Representatives, renewed the importance of the symbol, which will be further disseminated in parliaments around the world next year, when the delegations of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliaments and those of the Inter-Parliamentary Union will meet in Rabat.
The United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), Miguel Angel Moratinos, sent a message today in which, among other things, he said: "I express all my support and that of the United Nations to the United States of the World: in particular to Secretary-General Michele Capasso. The work and commitment you have been carrying out for 37 years to consolidate this noble action of yours deserves all our approval. Rest assured that as the United Nations and as High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations we will work with you, hand in hand, to build a better world in which peace and justice will be our common goals". Two United Nations Secretaries-General had already previously expressed full support for the United States of the World: Kofi Annan, who stated that "the idea of reuniting Peoples through the United States of the World through the involvement of Civil Society is a fundamental complement to the action of the United Nations", and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who wrote that "the commitment of the United States of the World must be supported because it guarantees the future and the safeguarding of values and social justice". In a communiqué, Secretary-General Capasso thanked the United Nations, reaffirming its ongoing commitment to safeguarding the earth and maintaining peace.
Secretary-General Michele Capasso, accompanied by Pia Molinari and Lhassan Hbid, met with the President of the Mohammed VI University - Polytechnic (UM6P) Prof. Hicham El Abita. On this occasion, the Secretary General presented President El Habti with the "United States of the World" yearbook and the volume dedicated to Morocco, one of the first countries to join. "Our university - said President El Abita - is a catalyst for a new active Africa: a centre of excellence that trains a new generation of leaders who will build the Africa of the future. We place research and innovation at the heart of the pedagogical project, as the engine of an ideal business in which students are themselves creators of solutions. We are proud to be the only university in the world that gives access to a special section of 'excellencies'even to those who have not done their preparatory studies: for us it is enough that they are geniuses in pectore". "The United States of the World - details SG Capasso - “has placed education in the approved 'Constitution' as a fundamental pillar for the future of mankind, as it is indispensable to respond to the expectations of future generations. In a virtual dimension, as this splendid campus is, everyone can educate themselves, express themselves, commit themselves and propose their own solutions: an avant-garde pedagogical model capable of freeing knowledge based on the student's ability to manage their own learning". Many shared the principles of the United States of the World that emerged from the colloquium: the proposal is to examine the possibility that the entire campus could become one of the universities that place the fundamental principles of the United States of the World at the centre of the various educational courses: from ecological conversion to commitment to young people, from the quality of living environments to the new role of architecture for the common good.
