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"I was moved when I saw yesterday the embrace between Pope Francis and the great imam of al-Azhar, Muhammad al-Tayyeb, at the conclusion of the audience in the Vatican granted to the spiritual leader of the prestigious Egyptian center of the Islàm Sunnita": President Capasso said yesterday in Rome.
Twenty-five minutes of talk behind closed doors, in the presence of a single interpreter, the Egyptian Coptic secretary of Pope Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, during which two men representing more than 3 billion faithful in the world discussed the importance of inter-religious dialogue and the common commitment of the great religions for peace in the world, for the rejection of violence and terrorism, for the protection of Christians in the context of conflicts and tensions in the Middle Ages.
For more than 25 years, the Fondazione Mediterraneo has been committed to these issues and it has been a day that has given new impetus to hope for a future of peace and coexistence between different civilizations and faiths.

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On May 23rd 2016, Day of Legality, OMCOM - Mediterranean Observatory on Organized Crime and the Mafia, created by the Fondazione Mediterraneo and Fondazione Caponnetto - commemorates the XXIVth Anniversary of the Capaci massacre (May 23rd 1992) in which Judge Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo and their escort agents died.
On the occasion of this day, OMCOM intends to remember all the victims of the mafia who have sacrificed their lives in order to build a better society, with justice and legality.
The school - underlines President Capasso - has a central task in the fight against crime and mafias, fighting fear and working in function of a concrete education to respect social rules and laws. In this regard, schools of every order and level are invited to sensitize students so that there is not only remembrance, commemoration for their own sake, but that it is a stimulus for reflection on what has happened and the reasons that have led to its tragedy. Every school educational community becomes a sentry of legality: the suburbs through school institutions can become a bulwark of responsible citizenship. It is important that the memory be followed by meetings, seminars and training interventions that can help the new generations to develop a critical awareness in interpreting reality and guide them in their choices, starting from the simple contexts of everyday life, towards legality, because "everyone can play their part, for large or small alike.
Rai Scuola remembers with a special one those tragic days on the occasion of the Legality Day 2016.

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The conference entitled "Religion and Terrorism" was held at the Cultural Islamic Centre of Italy (the "Great Mosque of Rome"). Various Perspectives ", which included among its speakers were Dr. Rayed Khalid Krimly, Ambassador of the Custos of the Two Sacred Mosques in Italy and Malta and President of the Islamic Centre itself, Prof. Olivier Roy, Professor of Mediterranean Studies and Director of the Mediterranean Program at the European University Institute, Prof. Franco Cardini, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History. Istituto di Scienze Umane e Sociali/Scuola Normale Superiore Firenze/Pisa, and Prof. Andrea Margelletti, President of the Ce. S. I. C. Center for International Studies. The conference was moderated by Paolo Di Giannantonio (TG1 journalist, Rai). The work of the conference was opened with a message of greeting and congratulations from H. E. E.. Cardinal Jean Luis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, read by Mons. Khaled Akasheh, Secretary Commission for Relations with the Muslims of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
Among the numerous participants present in the crowded Conference Room of the Islamic Centre, the Hon. Fabrizio Cicchitto, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, the Hon. Khaled Chaouki, Prefect Giovanna Maria Iurato, Central Director for Cult Affairs of the Ministry of Interior, Cons. Marco Canaparo, Diplomatic Councillor of the Minister of the Interior Alfano, the Min. Pl. Enrico Granara, Coordinator for Multilateral Affairs of the Mediterranean and Middle East of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Cons. Carlo Batori, Head of Office. VIII DG Political Affairs and Security, again by MAECI, as well as Arab and Islamic Ambassadors and officials of various Diplomatic Missions, professors and university rectors, prominent exponents of the Holy See, as well as representatives of the most prestigious study and think tanks centres and the major Italian journalistic and media publications.

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President Michele Capasso attended the ceremony that took place in the Church of S. Maria del Parto in Mergellina, which was given, together with the building with annexed tower, in 1529 by Poet Jacopo Sannazaro to the Fathers Servants of Mary.
The church houses the tomb of Sannazaro, which is located behind the altar and was built by the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, assisted by Francesco Del Tadda, towards the end of 1536. The wooden sculpture of the Madonna and Child was made by Saverio Citarelli in 1865.
The enchantment and magic of the place were enlivened by the musical interludes performed by the Aeolous quartet, composed of Annalisa Freda (traverse flute), Manon Chevalier (Corn), Guido Mandeglia (bundle bandage), Francesco Mennella (clarinet).
The jury is composed of Prof. Francesco D' Episcopo - member of the Fondazione Mediterraneo and president of the jury - Prof. Yvonne Carbonaro, Prof. Grazia Cerino, Dr. Ermanno Corsi and Prof. Aldo De Gioia.

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