Let everything be yours in common. The Frontiers of Poverty

The International Study Center Leo XIV is promoting the international workshop “Let everything be yours in common. The Frontiers of Poverty”, which will take place on 16–17 September 2026 at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome. The initiative is organized in collaboration with the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum and the Theological Faculty of Central Italy, within a shared framework of research and academic reflection on the major challenges of the contemporary world.

Founded within the Order of Saint Augustine, the International Study Center Leo XIV aims to serve as a place of research, education, and interdisciplinary dialogue, dedicated to reflecting on the major social, political, and international issues of our time in the light of the Social Doctrine of the Church, the dignity of the human person, and the common good.

The initiative seeks to foster dialogue between academic research, ecclesial experience, and social responsibility, creating an open forum for discussion among scholars, institutional representatives, pastoral workers, and young researchers. The workshop aims to contribute to a shared reflection on the transformations of the contemporary world, based on the conviction that addressing the many forms of poverty requires interdisciplinary approaches and renewed cooperation between the academic community, civil society, and the Church.

Inspired by the Augustinian tradition and the social teaching of the Church, the workshop is conceived as an international space for study, dialogue, and exchange on the many forms of poverty in the contemporary world: economic and social poverty, educational and cultural vulnerabilities, new inequalities, armed conflicts, migration, environmental crises, technological transformations, and the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

The title of the workshop recalls one of the most significant expressions of Augustinian spirituality — “Let everything be yours in common” — proposing it as a cultural and civic horizon for reflecting on the relationship between human dignity, solidarity, social justice, and shared responsibility.

The workshop will open with an introductory session chaired by Simone Morandini, featuring institutional greetings from Fr. Giuseppe Pagano, President of the International Study Center Leo XIV, Fr. Juan Antonio Cabrera, President of the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum, and Fr. Joseph Farrell, Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine.

This will be followed by a Lectio Magistralis on poverty delivered by Enrico Giovannini, former Italian Minister of Labour and Social Policies, who will provide the interpretative framework around which the discussions of the workshop will develop.

The initiative will bring together theologians, philosophers, historians, economists, legal scholars, experts in international relations, and researchers from universities and academic institutions across different countries, in the belief that new forms of poverty can only be understood through a genuinely interdisciplinary and dialogical approach.

Among the speakers and session chairs are scholars and researchers from universities, research institutes, and ecclesiastical institutions of international standing, alongside leading figures in the fields of culture, media, cooperation, and pastoral action. The diversity of expertise represented constitutes one of the workshop’s defining features and reflects the commitment of the International Study Center Leo XIV to promoting an authentically international, interdisciplinary, and solution-oriented dialogue.

This first international workshop represents the inaugural event of the International Study Center Leo XIV and seeks to lay the foundations for a stable path of research, education, and dialogue on the major social and political issues of contemporary life. Its objective is to contribute to the creation of an international network of scholars, institutions, and practitioners committed to promoting human dignity, social justice, and the common good, within the framework of the Christian tradition and the Social Doctrine of the Church. Registration is now open.
The workshop will take place in Rome at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum on 16–17 September 2026.

Information and Registration

Workshop Venue
Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum
Rome — Via Paolo VI

Dates
16–17 September 2026

Registration
Registration for the workshop is available through the official Indico platform of the International Study Center Leo XIV.

Registration Fee
The registration fee is €100 and includes:

• Lunches on 16 and 17 September;
• Participation in all workshop sessions;
• Conference materials;
• Coffee breaks scheduled in the programme.

Social Dinner
An optional Social Dinner will be held on the evening of 17 September 2026, providing an opportunity for informal exchange and networking among participants. Attendance requires an additional contribution of €50.

Accommodation
Please note that accommodation is not included in the registration fee. Participants are kindly requested to arrange and cover their own lodging in Rome.

Press Accreditation

Journalists wishing to attend and cover the workshop may request press accreditation by sending an email to claudio.tirinnanzi@studiumleonexiv.org.

The Organizing Secretariat will provide all necessary information regarding access to the event, media accreditation procedures, and press coverage arrangements.

Full Workshop Programme
The complete timetable, including sessions, speakers, and presentations, is available on the official Indico platform of the International Study Center Leo XIV.

Programme and Registration on Indico