Mediterranean Horizons. Living fraternity for a culture of dialogue (website in Italian)
National Meeting of the Diocesan Presidencies and Regional Delegations of Italian Catholic Action
Bari, 30 July – 2 August 2026
The meeting will bring together the Diocesan Presidencies and Regional Delegations of Catholic Action to share a time of reflection on how the experience of fraternity, which we live out within the association and in the Church community, can become a leaven of peace and hope capable of transforming the world in which we live.
Italian Catholic Action has chosen to take the Mediterranean as the image and horizon for its associational discernment, drawing on the legacy of the Synodal Journey of the Churches in Italy and the calls by Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis to promote a culture of encounter and fraternity.
‘Mediterranean Horizons’ is therefore an invitation to look beyond borders, to embrace differences as opportunities, and to forge paths of dialogue, shared responsibility and peace.
Bari was chosen because it represents one of the most significant places in the contemporary Mediterranean. A city where East and West meet, and a natural gateway to the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa, Bari’s history and identity embody a vocation for dialogue that today takes on an even deeper meaning.
The presence of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, a destination for pilgrims from various Christian traditions, makes the city a tangible symbol of fraternity, ecumenical dialogue and peace-building.
In an era marked by wars, migration, social crises and profound cultural transformations, Bari becomes, for Catholic Action, a privileged vantage point from which to view the Mediterranean not as a boundary but as a space for relationship, encounter and hope.
The choice of Bari as the venue for the Meeting stems from a desire to engage with these themes directly on the shores of the Mediterranean and to extend participation to the local Church and the city, in keeping with the conference’s thematic mission.
