Leo XIV: in Mary, the pillars of dialogue and the path to peace
Message signed by Parolin to the meeting “Mary, a Path of Dialogue and Peace for the Mediterranean” in Perugia and Assisi
Pope Leo XIV invites participants to look to the Virgin Mary, “woman of faith and obedience to God,” and to rediscover in her “a model of listening and welcome, pillars of all authentic dialogue and the prerequisite for a shared journey towards peace founded on fraternity.”
That hope is set out in a message signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent to those taking part in the meeting “Mary, a Path of Dialogue and Peace for the Mediterranean,” underway from 27 to 29 October in Perugia and Assisi.
The initiative is organized by the Pontifical International Marian Academy and the Order of Friars Minor, in collaboration with the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Other organizers include the Oikos Mediterranean Centre and the Network of Mediterranean Theologians.
Twelve Marian shrines are involved, including Notre-Dame de Santa Cruz in Oran (Algeria), Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille (France), the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, and Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa (Lebanon).
The gathering takes place forty years after the “Spirit of Assisi,” following the prayer meeting that concluded on 27 October in the Umbrian city.
Sources: Vatican News, 28 October 2026.
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Source: Vatican News