At a time marked by geopolitical fragmentation, declining development aid and growing uncertainty about the future of global cooperation, what role can religions play in shaping new models of development and peacebuilding? How can interreligious collaborations and integral human development help to shape the future of global partnerships and build more peaceful and prosperous societies?
The round table entitled “Religion, Development and Peace: What Future for Global Partnerships?” is the closing session, open to the public, of the international conference “Bridging Worlds”, which is taking place for the third time. The event will bring together representatives of religious traditions, scholars and experts in international cooperation, in Castelgandolfo (Rome) to reflect on the relationship between faith, human development and peacebuilding. It will also provide an opportunity to hear the contributions of leading representatives of different religions on possible responses to global challenges, through innovative forms of international collaboration.
The event is being held by the Freedom and Prosperity Center of the Atlantic Council, in collaboration with the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue of the Focolare Movement and the Sophia University Institute.
At the two previous meetings, held in Rome in 2024 and 2025, the Freedom and Prosperity Center of the Atlantic Council led this international initiative with the aim of reshaping the global debate on religious freedom through the lens of Integral Human Development (IHD): religious freedom understood not only as protection from persecution, but also as the practical capacity of religious communities to contribute to social cohesion and fraternity among peoples. This process has given rise to an ever-growing international network, committed to fostering new forms of collaboration between religious institutions and secular organisations on issues of common concern.
The conference will be held in English, with Italian interpretation available in the room. It will be streamed in English. Those wishing to follow the event can register at the following link.
Stefania Tanesini
Programme
Moderator: Pasquale Ferrara, President of Reset Dialogues on Civilizations
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Michael Fisch, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Freedom and Prosperity Centre, Atlantic Council. Laurent Basanese, SJ, Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, Holy See.
SPEAKERS
Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement (Italy). Rabbi Michael Melchior, Founder and President of MOSAICA – The Middle East Religious Peace Initiative, Jerusalem. Sua Altezza Muhammad Sanusi II, Emir of Kano, Nigeria. Somboon Chungprampree, Executive Secretary, International Network of Engaged Buddhists, Thailand. Alissa Wahid, Nahdlatul Ulama and founder of the Gusdurian Network, Indonesia.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Scott Appleby, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Global Affairs and Founding Dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame.
Father Silvano Cola (1928–2007), a priest with a background in psychology and education, spent the early days of his ministry working with children in situations of neglect and hardship at the “Città dei Ragazzi” in Turin. There, he developed an educational method based on personalised learning programmes, which was groundbreaking at the time. In 1954, at the age of 26, he met the Focolare Movement, founded by Chiara Lubich, and the charism of unity, which had a profound influence on his priestly ministry. Over the years, he focused particularly on the formation of the clergy and on spreading the charism of unity, contributing to the establishment and development of the Movement’s branch for priests. Chiara Lubich regarded him as a co-founder of this reality.
“I will never forget what happened on the day of my ordination,” recalls Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-Sik,, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, who had known Father Silvano since he was a seminarian. “When we returned to the sacristy, Father Silvano came up to me and placed a chain with a gold cross round my neck. ‘This is your Spouse,’ he said. As if to say: this is your faithful travelling companion, the one with whom to share everything and in whom, in every painful circumstance, you are to recognise the key to making your life and your ministry fruitful. ‘Live your life with him!’ A charge that has shaped my life’s journey and still guides me to this day.”
The ceremony will be presided over by Monsignor Stefano Russo, Bishop of Velletri-Segni and Frascati, and marks the official opening of the ecclesiastical process aimed at gathering testimonies and documentation on the life, virtues and reputation for holiness of Father Silvano Cola.
The following will be present: Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-Sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy; Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, Archbishop Emeritus of L’Aquila and President of the Commission of Cardinals for the Supervision of the IOR; Monsignor Tommaso Caputo, Archbishop-Prelate of Pompeii; Monsignor Vincenzo Zani, Archbishop, Archivist and Librarian Emeritus of the Holy Roman Church; Monsignor Sandro Salvucci, Archbishop of Pesaro and Urbino-Urbania-Sant’Angelo in Vado; Monsignor Michele Fusco, Bishop of Sulmona-Valva; Monsignor Gianfranco De Luca, Bishop Emeritus of Termoli-Larino; Margaret Karram and Roberto Almada, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement… family members…
To mark the occasion, the book “Rendere luminosa la notte. Biografia di Silvano Cola. Seconda parte (1967–2007)” [Lighting Up the Night: A Biography of Silvano Cola. Part Two (1967–2007)] by Fernando Muraca (Città Nuova publishing house) will be released.
Programme
3.30 pm: Eucharistic Celebration. 4.30 pm: Presentation of the Servant of God Father Silvano Cola. This will be followed by the opening of the Diocesan Inquiry – First session.
Biography of Father Silvano Cola
Father Silvano Cola was born in Camerino, in the Marche region of Italy, on the 22nd of January 1928. A few months later, his family moved to Lanzo Torinese in Piedmont, at the foot of the Graian Alps. The faith instilled in him by his mother, and with the support of the parish priest, led him to enter the minor seminary in Giaveno (TO) in October 1937, at just nine years of age.
His formative years leading up to his ordination as a priest were marked by the difficult period of the Second World War. At the age of 22, he was ordained a priest on the 27th of June 1950, thanks to a special dispensation, as he had not yet reached the minimum age required by church regulations to become a priest.
His desire to remain true to the Gospel led him to choose to devote himself to the Città dei Ragazzi, founded by Father Giovanni Battista Arbinolo, and there, amidst the uncertainties of a project still in its early stages, he devised a groundbreaking educational system for children who had been abandoned or were facing hardship.
This experience caused a stir both in ecclesiastical circles and in secular society, and the Piedmontese Education Authority asked him to give lectures to teachers in training.
Despite the fruits of his educational efforts – which led him to be presented to the parishioners of the parish where he became an assistant parish priest as a “new Don Bosco” – he was put to the test by a profound crisis of faith, during which he even considered leaving the priesthood.
It was during this same period that he met some of the first focolarine in Turin – consecrated laywomen belonging to the Focolare Movement, founded by Chiara Lubich. Their witness to a life lived according to the Gospel helped him to rediscover his faith and the meaning of his priestly vocation.
His encounter with the charism of unity had a profound impact on his ministry. Over the years, he contributed to the establishment and development of the Priests Movement, of which he was a co-founder. He dedicated himself to the formation and accompaniment of priests, promoting a life of communion and exploring, in the light of the Second Vatican Council, the relationship between the priestly ministry and the spirituality of unity. He died on the 17th of February 2007 after a life of devoted service to the Church.
Father Silvano was a steadfast guide to many people – including priests, deacons, consecrated persons and laypeople – helping them to love the Church and the people of God with a Marian spirit and guiding them towards a sincere and radical choice of God, such as the one that had shaped his own life.
Assisi (Italy) is a city of peace.Eight hundred years after the death of St Francis, it still retains the charm of its narrow streets and its layout, so much so that you almost expect the “Poverello” to appear around the corner.His presence, his outpouring of love for the poor and for his neighbour, for those who are different, is so strong that it makes this Umbrian city a centre of vibrant spirituality.
Three days bathed in a gentle autumn sun transformed Assisi into the capital of interreligious dialogue, united in prayer for peace. As early as Sunday 25th, it was already possible to hear countless languages and see the diversity of colours and clothes worn by the representatives of the religions who had arrived for these days. 5,000 people attended the various thematic forums held in different venues around the city.
Margaret Karram and Roberto Almada, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement, together with a delegation, took part in the days of this Meeting, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of Interreligious Prayer in the Spirit of Assisi, initiated by John Paul II.
On 26th October, Margaret spoke at the “Mediterranean: Sea of Dialogue” Forum. “St Francis did not accept the view that talking to those who were seen as enemies meant betraying one’s own side,” she commented. “Today, ‘dialogue’ may seem like a fragile term, but it is precisely when it seems impossible that it becomes even more necessary to communicate the good that already exists.”
On the morning of 27th October, in the Sala Cimabue at Colle del Paradiso, where the Franciscan Basilica complex is located, the Forum with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople was the focus of the participants’ attention. “The Church that proclaims the Resurrection must at the same time proclaim peace,” said Bartholomew I. This reflection was also confirmed by the presence, of numerous representatives of the Christian Churches, in the audience, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church, Mar Awa III, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Sahak II, the Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino and Foligno, Felice Accrocca, and the Metropolitan of Chalcedon, Emmanuel, together with the President of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram. It was a large, significant presence, which restored the very meaning of the encounter: different Churches and traditions coming together to recognise each other as brothers and sisters and to bear witness to the possibility of dialogue.
Then, in the afternoon, there were moving moments of prayer for peace in the presence of numerous leaders from various religions, and the closing ceremony held in the square of the Lower Basilica: “There is no holy war, only peace is holy”, said Pope Leo XIV in a video message sent for the occasion. As the sun set peacefully, the lighting of the torches gave everyone present the certainty that peace is indeed possible.
Seventy years of history deserve to be celebrated. And so it was for this important milestone in the life of the Città Nuova magazine, which was founded in 1956. This is no mean feat in a world in which the media are facing a serious crisis. But if Città Nuova exists, it certainly owes it to all those who have worked and are working for it, people who feel a personal responsibility to do everything they can to give a voice to those who believe in fraternity. It also owes its success to its community of readers, who are equally convinced of the message the magazine conveys.
A celebration, indeed. A gathering of people reconnecting after a period apart and rediscovering the same atmosphere that characterised some of Città Nuova’s recent landmark events, such as LoppianoLab and Città Nuova Day. These events, which brought together thousands of people, have strengthened the community and demonstrated the magazine’s cultural impact.
The two-day festival begins with a message from Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic, who, said: “Dear Editor, I have always followed with interest the commitment that you and your editorial team renew every month through the pages of ‘Città Nuova’, a space for reflection that engages with the present by going beyond the surface of the news, through careful analysis and authentic voices. This publishing project, born seventy years ago from Chiara Lubich’s far-sighted vision, has been able to translate deep rooted values into an ongoing dialogue with modernity, at the service of an open, pluralistic and democratic society. is an ideal compass that I find at the service of an open, pluralistic and democratic society.” It is an ideal compass that I find at the service of an open, pluralistic and democratic society.”
It is difficult to convey the complexity of the contributions in just a few lines. For a more comprehensive account, we refer you to the Città Nuova website and YouTube channel.
Broadly speaking, the programme addressed the theme of peace through a round-table discussion entitled “Disarming Information to Build Peace”. There was also an opportunity to reflect on children in urban settings and the importance of learning to manage emotions, as well as the role of diplomacy and interreligious dialogue. Speaking in this context, the President of the Focolare, Margaret Karram, did not gloss over the many challenges faced in the Middle East. Nevertheless, she affirmed that “the vocation of Christians in the Holy Land, and wherever there are divisions, violence and polarisation, is this: to rebuild trust in order to reopen dialogue, without renouncing either truth and justice or the other person.
The second day included the sharing of numerous initiatives at local level under the title “Good deeds must be practised and shared”. There was a focus on social commitment and Città Nuova’s prison project. Another session explored the importance of networking, a distinctive feature of the Città Nuova approach, with an in-depth contribution from Roberto Almada, Co-President of the Focolare Movement. And how could the occasion pass without remembering the magazine’s first editor, Igino Giordani?
The Mediterranean also featured in the programme, with an interview by Luca Gentile, Director of Città Nuova Publishing, with Sergio Nazzaro, author of the book Mediterranea: Migration Routes, Political and Criminal Networks, published by Città Nuova in September 2026.
The programme concluded with an interview by Riccardo Barlaam, the magazine’s newly appointed editor, with Romano Prodi, who served twice as Prime Minister of Italy (1996–1998 and 2006–2008), on geopolitical balances and the future of Europe. This was followed by a discussion involving Michele Zanzucchi, journalist and writer and former editor of Città Nuova; Stefano Zamagni, economist; and Vittorio Pelligra, Professor of Economics and Statistics at the University of Cagliari, Italy. They explored the value of the human person in the face of economic transformations and artificial intelligence.
As everyone said their goodbyes, it seemed quite natural to say: “See you again next year!”Salutandoci fra tutti veniva spontaneo dirsi “ci rivediamo l’anno prossimo”.
The protagonists of this fifth episode of What’s UP? are the Gen 4, the children of the Focolare Movement – specifically the Gen 4 from Portugal – who at one point learnt that the Chiara Luce Centre in Burundi, located in the Kinama neighbourhood, one of the most vulnerable areas of the city of Bujumbura, was without water. So, together with other Gen 4 from various European countries, they spread the word and gave life to something truly special.
Video in the original language. Turn on subtitles and select your preferred language.
