work in progress
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE with 9th Ordinary Assembly of FIAC
CATHOLIC ACTION: SINODALITY AND MISSION
15-18 October 2026
Vittorio Bachelet Auditorium
Domus Mariae – TH Carpegna Palace
Rome – Via Aurelia, 481
Thursday 15 October 2026
4.00 pm
PUBLIC EVENT
Introduced and moderated by Chiara Finocchietti, IFCA Catholic Action Promotion
WELCOME
VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS – OPENING PRAYER
Presided over by Monsignor Claudio Giuliodori, Bishop Assistant General of Italian Catholic Action
4.15 pm
PRESENTATION
Artificial Intelligence and Educational Service: A Challenge for Catholic Action
Fr Paolo Benanti TOR, Adviser to the Holy See on the ethics of AI, Member of the UN High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, Presidente of the Italian Governmentl Commission on AI for Information
GREETINGS
Giuseppe Notarstefano, National President of Italian Catholic Action
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life (message)
read by Alessandro Mammarella (DLFL)
PRESENTATION
Catholic Action: Synodality and Mission
Eva Fernández Mateo, Coordinator of the FIAC Secretariat
BREAK with words from Catholic Action
6.30 pm
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (video message)
Friendship with Holy Land
6.45 pm Preparation for the Eucharistic Celebration
7.00 pm EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION
Presided over by Monsignor Eduardo García, Bishop of San Justo (Argentina), Ecclesiastical Assistant of IFCA
8.00 pm Dinner
Friday 16 October 2026
Moderated by Marija Cachia, National President of Catholic Action Malta
8.15 MORNING PRAYER IN THE BYZANTINE RITE
with the seminarians of the Pontifical Romanian College Pio Romeno
Presided over by Fr Gabriel Buboi, Rector of the Pontifical Romanian College Pio Romeno
9.15 – 12.00 CATHOLIC ACTION, A “GYMN” OF SYNODALITY
Catholic Action walks through history alongside the whole Church, in the wake of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, in dialogue with the world
Video
Claudia Carbajal de Inzaurraga, National President of Catholic Action Argentina
The priorities of the Synodal Document (text in Spanish)
Eva Fernández Mateo
Synodal experiences
Representatives from Argentina, Burundi, the Philippines, Italy and Romania
Coffee break
CONVERSATION IN THE SPIRIT: GROUPS BY LANGUAGE
12.15 Preparation for the Eucharistic Celebration
12.30 EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION
Presided over by Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops
1.30 pm Buffet lunch at the Offices of the National Presidency of Italian Catholic Action
2.30 pm. Meeting of the Ecclesiastical Assistants
3.30 pm – 6.00 pm Summary of the Conversation in the Spirit
4.00 pm Group work by continent
Coffee break
6.30 pm
Report on group work by continent. Outlook for 2026–2030
Catholic Action Foundation – Pius XI School of Sanctity
Silvia Correale, Vice-President of the Foundation
7.30 pm PRAYER FOR PEACE WITH SAINT FRANCIS, 800 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH
Led by Sr Raffaella Petrini FSE, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State
With testimonies from representatives of countries situations of in conflict
Myanmar, Cameroon, Ukraine, Mexico, the Holy Land
8.30 pm Dinner
FESTIVAL OF THE CONTINENTS
Organised by the Youth and Children’s Coordinations
Emanuela Gitto and Rocio Rios
Saturday 17 October 2026
Moderated by Emilio Inzaurraga, National Director of Caritas Argentina, former coordinator of the FIAC Secretariat
7.45 Preparation for the Eucharistic Celebration
8.00 EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION
Presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation and Dean of the College of Cardinals
9.30 9th ORDINARY ASSEMBLY
Constitution of the Assembly Presidency
President: Emilio Inzaurraga
Secretary: Michele Tridente, General Secretary of CA Italy
- List of candidate countries
- Admission of a new CA member country: GUATEMALA
Report on activities 2022–2026
Maria Grazia Tibaldi, IFCA Secretary
Gianni Rotondo: IFCA Administrator
Presentation of the 2026 Normativ Document
Eva Fernández Mateo
11.30 CASA SAN JUAN
Eucharistic Adoration for the Health of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Presided over by Monsignor Jorge Lozano, Archbishop of San Juan de Cuyo, National Assistant of CA Argentina
1.30 pm Lunch
15.00 – 16.30 9th ORDINARY ASSEMBLY – continued
Approval of the Normative Document
Election of the countries for the Secretariat for 2026–2030
17.00 Departure for the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
7.00 pm MARIAN VIGIL
Presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See
FREE EVENING IN ROME
Sunday 18 October 2026 – 100th WORLD MISSIONARY DAY
8.30 departure from the Domus Mariae for the Pontifical Urban College of Propaganda Fide
9.15 Preparation for the Eucharistic Celebration
9.30 EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION IN THE COLLEGE CHAPEL
Presided over by Monsignor Salvator Niciteretse, Bishop of Bururi (Burundi), coordinator of FIAC Africa
MEETING WITH
Fr Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Pontifical Missionary Union
Fr Riccardo Scorsone, Vice-Rector of the College
Fr Joseph Buhagiar, Spiritual Director
11.15 St Peter’s Square
12.00 ANGELUS WITH POPE LEO XIV
Farewells and departures
For World Mission Day 2026, which marks the centenary of a celebration established by Pius XI that is very dear to the Church, I have chosen the theme “One in Christ, united in mission.” Following the Jubilee Year, I wish to encourage the whole Church to continue its missionary journey with joy and zeal in the Holy Spirit. This requires hearts united in Christ, reconciled communities and, in everyone, a willingness to cooperate with generosity and trust.
(Leo PP. XIV)
Simultaneous interpretation of the proceedings into Italian, English and Spanish, also in streaming via Zoom
- At the Domus Mariae / TH, the venue for the Conference, visitors were able to view the exhibition ‘Loving God, Loving People: Vittorio Bachelet – A Man of Dialogue’. An initiative of the National Presidency of Italian Catholic Action. The exhibition is in Italian: translations into English, French and Spanish are available.
