On 2 September, the ‘Rerum Novarum’ award ceremony was held in Carpineto Romano, the birthplace of Pope Leo XIII. The event, now in its fifth edition, is organised annually by the Regional Commission for Social and Labour Pastoral Care of Lazio. The theme chosen for 2025 was ‘Leo XIII, builder of the future’. This topic is also linked to the election of the new pontiff, Leo XIV, who wanted to recall the legacy of Pope Leo XIII. Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci, the future Leo XIII, was born on 2 March 1810 in Palazzo Pecci, the home of a noble family in Carpineto Romano, a town located in the heart of the Lepini Mountains, near the provinces of Latina and Frosinone.
This year, the “Special Mention” was awarded to the editorial staff of Lazio Sette, an insert of the diocese of Lazio in the daily newspaper Avvenire, for “its constant, timely and significant support for all the initiatives of the Social Pastoral Care of Lazio, with particular attention and a committed contribution to the complete success of the project concerning the national conference dedicated to Leo XIII”. The award was collected by Costantino Coros, press officer of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation and coordinator of the editorial staff of the Lazio Sette supplement.
Alongside the award, a national conference dedicated to Pope Leo XIII and his encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’ was also held. The initiative, proposed by Bishops Vincenzo Apicella and Lorenzo Loppa, hosted several speakers, including Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti and Professors Leonardo Becchetti, Ernesto Preziosi and Vincenzo Buonomo. The award is intended for individuals and organisations that have distinguished themselves in their promotion and implementation of the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Over the years, the award has been given to the GOEL Cooperative Group of Locride in Calabria (the award was received by its president, Vincenzo Linarello); the Policoro Project of the Italian Episcopal Conference; Mons. Filippo Santoro, Archbishop Emeritus of Taranto; Giuseppe De Rita, founder of Censis; Enrico Giovannini, founder and scientific director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development.