Pope Francis has a message to the participants of the 2024 Meeting for international friendshipcommonly known as the Rimini Meeting. The event will take place in the northern Italian city of Rimini from August 20-25 and will bring together over 400 speakers to reflect on the theme “If we do not seek the essential, what are we seeking?”
Every year, prominent politicians, entrepreneurs, religious and cultural representatives, intellectuals, artists, athletes and others meet in the Italian city of Rimini for a cultural experience, “driven by the desire to discover the beauty of reality”.
In his letter, published on Monday 19 August and signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Pope highlighted the theme of this year’s meeting: “If we do not seek the essential, what are we seeking?”
The letter states that, given the challenges of our time, “the search for what lies at the heart of the mystery of life and reality is of crucial importance” and encourages us to “seek what brings out the beauty of life”.
The Pope urges participants to see in the struggles of modern life “a call to reflection” aimed at opening hearts to an encounter with God and fostering in each person an awareness of themselves, of their neighbour and of reality.
This in turn shows that the most important thing in life is not material goods or success, but “that relationship that sustains us and bases our path on trust and hope” – that is, friendship with God, which is then reflected in our relationships with others.
The letter recalls the Pope’s address to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the beginning of this year: “The essential, the most beautiful, the most attractive and at the same time the most necessary thing for us is faith in Jesus Christ.”
The Pope expresses his appreciation and support for the meeting in Rimini and encourages everyone to “become responsible protagonists of change and to actively collaborate in the Church’s mission of creating places where the presence of Christ is visible and felt”.
In conclusion, Pope Francis expresses his hope that the Rimini 2024 meeting “may inspire many to seek out what is essential and to make blossom in their hearts a passion for proclaiming the Gospel – a source of liberation from all slavery and a force that heals and transforms humanity”.
The full text of Pope Francis’ message can be found at:
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/08/19/240819b.html
