| Objectives | Phases | Contents | Subjects | Main places |
Agora dei giovani del Mediterraneo - The Project
THE PROJECT’S MAIN PLACES
The Holy Shrine of Loreto
As John Paul II wrote in 15th August 1993, in his first letter for the VII centenary of the Shrine of Loreto, Loreto hosts in its heart the first international holy shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and it has been the true heart of Christianity for centuries. For centuries, a lively, multicultural web of pilgrimages has been departing and converging from and towards Loreto. Here, the lines of a Mediterranean and above all European planimetry come together: just think of the various memorial stones carved in different languages to tell the pilgrims the history of the Shrine and the six national chapels built inside the Basilica. European culture is present in Loreto through the works of its great saints, artists, writers, scientists and politicians.
Thanks to its location and history, with the characteristic tale of its foundation, the Holy Shrine of Loreto is in relation with the opposite shores of the Mediterranean (Palestine, whence the relic comes from) and of the Adriatic sea, thus being a major symbol of unity among Mediterranean and European peoples.
Not too far from Loreto lays the port of Ancona, from which Saint Francis left to bring peace to the Far East.
Giovanni Paolo II youth Centre
In 1995 Loreto hosted a great meeting with the Pope and the Youth of Europe (EurHope), an event that, during the war in ex-Yugoslavia, has shown a path of peace and harmony among peoples, cultures and religions, a way to build a common European Home.
The Youth Centre was built in 2000 on that same place and is linked to that event for its activities. The Centre aims at offering a place for strong spiritual experiences, cultural exchanges, study encounters, for Italian and European young people, with particular reference to the Adriatic and Mediterranean areas. The Centre depends on the prelacy of the Holy Shrine of Loreto and is led by a team of Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It is also sustained by the Italian Episcopal Conference Youth ministry office and the Association «Amici del Centro Giovanni Paolo II».
As John Paul II wrote in 15th August 1993, in his first letter for the VII centenary of the Shrine of Loreto, Loreto hosts in its heart the first international holy shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and it has been the true heart of Christianity for centuries. For centuries, a lively, multicultural web of pilgrimages has been departing and converging from and towards Loreto. Here, the lines of a Mediterranean and above all European planimetry come together: just think of the various memorial stones carved in different languages to tell the pilgrims the history of the Shrine and the six national chapels built inside the Basilica. European culture is present in Loreto through the works of its great saints, artists, writers, scientists and politicians.
Thanks to its location and history, with the characteristic tale of its foundation, the Holy Shrine of Loreto is in relation with the opposite shores of the Mediterranean (Palestine, whence the relic comes from) and of the Adriatic sea, thus being a major symbol of unity among Mediterranean and European peoples.
Not too far from Loreto lays the port of Ancona, from which Saint Francis left to bring peace to the Far East.
Giovanni Paolo II youth Centre
In 1995 Loreto hosted a great meeting with the Pope and the Youth of Europe (EurHope), an event that, during the war in ex-Yugoslavia, has shown a path of peace and harmony among peoples, cultures and religions, a way to build a common European Home.
The Youth Centre was built in 2000 on that same place and is linked to that event for its activities. The Centre aims at offering a place for strong spiritual experiences, cultural exchanges, study encounters, for Italian and European young people, with particular reference to the Adriatic and Mediterranean areas. The Centre depends on the prelacy of the Holy Shrine of Loreto and is led by a team of Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It is also sustained by the Italian Episcopal Conference Youth ministry office and the Association «Amici del Centro Giovanni Paolo II».
