The Thesaurum Fidei international symposium has been held at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, in cooperation with the Holy See Pavilion.
    The event was aimed at acquainting the international community with the themes connected to the cultural relationship between Japan and Europe from the 16th century until present times.
    "The project was born from a meeting between the diocese of Lucca and that of Nagasaki in memory of a Lucca-born missionary martyred in 1622", explained Mons.

Paolo Giulietti, the Archbishop of Lucca who organized the congress together with Professor Olimpia Niglio, under the high patronage of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, the Holy See Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, the Dicastery for Evangelization's Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World and the Istituto Ambasciatori Mariani (Marian Ambassadors' Institute).
    The event was also attended by the Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka, Mario Vattani.
    "The congress is the result of these studies, as well as a reflection on the relations that evangelization has created between Italy and Japan", said the Archbishop of Lucca.
    Mons Giulietti stressed that such relations are "extraordinary" because they "represent the connection between two cultures of great value, both extremely ancient, that get to know each other thanks to evangelization and start a relationship of exchange that will unfortunately end with the persecutions at the beginning of the 17th century and will resume nearly three centuries later when Japan opens itself again to the West".
    The Holy See Pavilion "becomes a bridge between Italy and Japan", stressed the Director of the Holy See Pavilion, Stefano Riccardi, thanking the Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka, Ambassador Vattani.
    "Thanks to this event, we have been able to rediscover the journey of the Tensho Ambassadorship led by Ito Mancio and his companions who in 1585 were received by the Holy Father", Pope Gregory XIII.
    "As episcopal conference we have considered our presence here appropriate because these are important pages of history, especially during the period of persecutions", stated Mons.
    Andrea Lembo, the Auxiliary Bishop of Tokyo.
    History "still teaches us today what Japan's Christianity represents - a Christianity that was able to remain firm in the faith, including while it was subjected to strong repression", concluded Mons.

Lembo.
    Mons. Jean-Claude Hollerich, Cardinal and Archbishop of Luxembourg, and Mons. Manyo Maeda, Cardinal and Archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu, were also present.
   

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