Press releases

Go back to the press releases list click here.

In video link His Exc. Monsignor Mieczysław Mokrzycki Bishop of the Archdiocese of Lviv, received chalices and liturgical objects as gifts from the exhibitors.

Vicenza, February 13th 2023 - ´I thank you for these gifts for Ukraine. We are very grateful for your solidarity, even spiritual, for the prayers that are addressed every day in the churches in Italy for peace and for the humanitarian aid that arrives from Italy. Unfortunately the war still continues and dozens of our Churches have already been destroyed. Thanks to solidarity, our people do not feel alone´.

Koinè - International Exhibition for the Religious World opened today with the significant words of Monsignor Mieczysław Mokrzycki of the archdiocese of Lviv, in video link, bringing back to the centre of attention what is happening in the conflict in Ukraine. The international exhibition dedicated to the religious sector - organized by Italian Exhibition Group, with the active support of CEI and the patronage of the Diocese of Vicenza, got underway today and will take place until February 15th. The exhibitors wanted to offer chalices and liturgical objects to promote the liturgy in the lands affected by the war.

The following spoke at the opening of the event: Andrea Pellizzari, board member of Italian Exhibition Group, Matteo Celebron, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Vicenza, Monsignor Giuliano Brugnotto, Bishop of Vicenza, Monsignor Fabrizio Capanni, of the Pontifical Dicastery for Culture and Education and president of the scientific committee of Koine Ricerca.

Among the exhibitors also Faci, the Federation of clerical associations in Italy, which, as underlined by Monsignor Antonio Interguglielmi, ´is one of the first participants in the event. Faci has always represented a 360-degree point of assistance for our associates, especially for the 5,000 Italian priests´, continued Interguglielmi.

In the afternoon, the Municipality of Vicenza, the Diocese of Vicenza and the sanctuary of Monte Berico presented the Marian Jubilee Year. The works are introduced by the intervention of the Mayor of Vicenza, Francesco Rucco and by those of the Bishop of Vicenza, Monsignor Giuliano Brugnotto and Father Carlo Rossato, Rector of the Sanctuary of Monte Berico. 2026 will mark the 600th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin Mary on Monte Berico. For the occasion, the results of the research carried out by the Cuoa Business School and commissioned by the Vicenza Chamber of Commerce were presented, aimed at studying the current state and possible future developments of spiritual tourism in Vicenza and identifying possible territorial enhancement strategies in view of the 2025 Jubilee and of the celebrations of 2026 for the anniversary of the Marian apparition at Monte Berico.

Koinè begins in earnest.

Particular attention is paid to the theme of the Jubilee 2025, allowing those who produce sacred objects and exhibit them to offer international buyers, shrine operators, wholesalers and retailers customizable prototypes, objects for liturgical and devotional use, vestments, signs and gadgets dedicated to the jubilee year.

The event this year is also the headquarters of the International Religious Tourism Exchange, which usually takes place in Assisi, a meeting point between sellers and buyers such as hospitality structures, guides and tour operators, local authorities and promotion companies, museums, religious sites and cultural.

The States General of Religious Buildings are also held in Koinè, with the collaboration of the Turin Polytechnic. Not only that: great space will be given to liturgical objects and more generally to the theme of the liturgy, and to sacred furnishings.

The main appointments for tomorrow
- At 12.30pm there will be a commemoration of Monsignor Giancarlo Santi, until 2019 president of the Scientific Committee of Koinè Research. Degree in Architecture in 1974, Chaplain of His Holiness since 1994, Monsignor Santi has always given an important contribution to the work of the event: His Excellency Most Reverend Mons. Stefano Russo, Bishop of Velletri-Segni, former Secretary General of CEI, will remember him, outlining his profile.

- In the afternoon, however, it will be the turn of the appointment ´Energy sustainability: solutions and opportunities in times of crisis´, which will focus on the very current theme of saving resources, the reduction of polluting emissions by a building in its life cycle, the correct management of the flows of materials used in construction and the use of renewable sources.

- Presentation of the book by Vatican expert Mimmo Muolo. According to a legend, the Magi who came from the East to pay homage to the newborn Jesus were four and not three. The fourth, Artaban, was supposed to bring him some precious stones as a gift, but, having left late, he was unable to reach his companions and arrived in Bethlehem when the Holy Family had already emigrated to Egypt to escape Herod´s persecution.
In the novel ´Per un´altra strada´, published by Paoline editions, Mimmo Muolo, Vatican journalist for Avvenire, reinvents the wanderings of the Fourth Wise Man on the trail of the Nazarene up to a surprising ending, in which the sum of the delays accumulated by the protagonist is transformed paradoxically in aticipation. The novel will be presented at Koinè tomorrow, February 14th at 12.30pm. Manuela Tulli, Vatican correspondent for Ansa, will engage in dialogue with the author.
The world crossed by Artaban in the novel is deliberately similar to ours. A world in which the migratory phenomenon has all the painful corollaries that the news testify to us, in which the political-economic imbalance between the north and the south of the world causes innocent victims, while climate change, epidemics and persecutions cause tragedies for damage to the weakest. In this sense, the assonance with the magisterium of Pope Francis and his ´prophetic´ denunciation of those evils appears very clear.

Koinè, a reference point since 1989
The biennial event has been the international reference for the sector since 1989. In fact, it was born in that year in Vicenza, by the will of Fiera di Vicenza, the Diocese and the Episcopal Conference. The concept is that of a moment of aggregation for the supply chain and clergy, which combines the exhibition showcase with moments of reflection, debate and in-depth analysis dedicated to the liturgy and the architecture of places of worship.

The Koinè 2023 program is available at: https://bit.ly/3yMBDxa

PRESS CONTACT IEG
Alessandro Caprio, press office specialist; Luca Paganin, press office specialist
media@iegexpo.it


FOCUS ON ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP
Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A., a joint stock company listed on Euronext Milan, a regulated market organised and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A., has, with its facilities in Rimini and Vicenza, achieved national leadership over the years in the organisation of trade shows and conferences. The development of activities abroad - also through joint-ventures with global or local organisers, in the United States, United Arab Emirates, China, Mexico, Germany, Singapore, Brazil, for example . now sees the company positioned among the top European operators in the sector.

This press release contains forecast elements and estimates that reflect the management´s current opinions (´forward-looking statements´), particularly regarding future management performance, realization of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the financial structure. For their very nature, forward-looking statements have a component of risk and uncertainty, as they depend on the occurrence of future events. The effective results may differ (even significantly) from those announced, due to numerous factors, including, only by way of example: food service market and tourist flow trends in Italy, gold and jewellery market trends, green economy market trends; the evolution of raw material prices; general macroeconomic conditions; geopolitical factors and evolutions in the legislative framework. Moreover, the information contained in this release does not claim to be complete, and has not been verified by independent third parties. Forecasts, estimates and objectives contained herein are based on the information available to the Company as at the date of this release.