Leo XIV is visiting this Saturday San Marino and Rimini with the aim of relaunching to the world his message of peace and coexistence from the Italian enclave, where a Pope is returning after more than 15 years, and from the Communion and Liberation Meeting in the Romagna city, one of the most important events for the Catholic world in Italy.
"The Republic of San Marino can be a laboratory of good politics, where, without compromising the secular nature of the State, it is possible to draw on the principles of Catholic social doctrine: the pursuit of the common good, the universal destination of goods, the harmony between subsidiarity and solidarity, social justice," the Pope said, addressing the authorities in the chamber of the Grand and General Council.
San Marino today has around 35,000 inhabitants and is recognised as one of the oldest republics in the world: its origins date back to the 4th century AD, while its current legal system has been in force since 1243.
It was precisely the reference to the traditional line of the Captains Regent, the highest authorities of the third smallest state in Europe, that the pontiff used in his speech to renew his call for the "building of peace", for "esteem for diplomacy and multilateralism" and his opposition to the "power politics of our time" that "trample" international humanitarian law.
