In his traditional end-of-year address, Sergio Mattarella looked back on 2025, reflecting on the importance of peace and the challenges facing the world.
He drew attention to the devastation in Ukraine and Gaza, reminding Italians that “peace is a way of thinking: living together with others, respecting them, without imposing your own will or interests.”
Quoting Pope Leo XIV, he added that society must “reject hatred and violence, embrace dialogue, peace, and reconciliation,” and that “disarming words” is key to a civil community.
The President urged citizens not to feel powerless.
“Freedom and peace are at the heart of our Republic,” he said, “built on the principle of shaping the future together through dialogue.”
Looking back over Italy’s 80-year history as a Republic, Mattarella highlighted milestones such as women’s suffrage, the election of the Constituent Assembly, and the drafting of the Constitution.
“The Republic isn’t a state above its citizens. It protects inviolable rights, personal freedom, and community autonomy,” he said.
Mattarella also celebrated Italy’s social and economic achievements, from the creation of the National Health Service to the Workers’ Statute, and highlighted the role of culture, sport, and public institutions in shaping national identity.
“All of this will shine again at the Milan–Cortina Games. Sport spreads messages of peace, friendship, and inclusion — and is a powerful antidote to youth violence and drugs.”
He paid tribute to anti-mafia heroes Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, “whose legacy lives on,” and reaffirmed the state’s strength against terrorism:
“Institutions prove stronger than terror.”
Internationally, he noted Italy’s successes and the role of its armed forces in peacekeeping missions.
“Our true strength is social cohesion within freedom and democracy, and it has made Italy the great country it is today,” he said.
Ending on a note to the next generation, Mattarella addressed young Italians directly:
“Be demanding, be courageous. Choose your future. Feel responsible, like the generation that built modern Italy eighty years ago.”
