Overview
- Delivering a lectio magistralis at the University of Salamanca, Italy’s president received an honorary degree at a ceremony attended by Spain’s King Felipe VI.
- He called on Europe to refuse the expansion of wars and the multiplication of crisis fronts, citing the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, tensions involving Iran and Lebanon, and Russia’s assault on Ukraine.
- Mattarella pressed for a recommitment to UN Charter principles, stressing the prohibition of force except for self‑defense or actions authorized by the Security Council.
- He condemned efforts to sideline the United Nations, the delegitimization of international courts, and the dismantling of arms‑control and oversight mechanisms.
- He cautioned that rising military outlays risk starving responses to migration, food, energy, demographic and health emergencies, and urged young people to safeguard freedom.