Several prominent personalities were present for the occasion: just to name a few of the many guests, the former Vatican Secretary of State, Card. Tarcisio Bertone, SDB; Card. Giovanni Battista Re, the Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops; Card. Giuseppe Bertello, Emeritus President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State; Card. Fortunato Frezza, distinguished biblical scholar and Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria in Via Lata; the President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, Mons. Giordano Piccinotti, SDB,  Mons Enrico dal Covolo, SDB, Bishop of Eraclea; Fr Mauro Mantovani, SDB, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library; the ambassadors of Mexico and Angola to the Holy See, Dr. Alberto Medardo Barranco Chavarría and Dr. Carlos Alberto Saraiva de Carvalho Fonseca, respectively; Mother General of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception, Mother Maria Paola Giobbi; the General Councilors of the Salesian Congregation Fr Ivo Coelho (Formation), Fr Gildasio Mendes (Communication), and Br. Jean Paul Muller, SDB, (Economy); along with embassy officials, professors, academic authorities, exponents from the fields of religion, communication and journalism.

In introducing the proceedings, Fr Giuseppe Costa, SDB, co-spokesperson of the Salesian Congregation and editor of the publication, presented the volume, the speakers and the guests. He urged everyone to extract from the book's "mosaic" the various "tiles" capable of enriching each person, evoking emotions, reflections, and intentions. He also announced the upcoming edition of the text in the Spanish language.

Moderated by Luca Caruso, journalist and press officer of the 'Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation', the conference then featured interventions of various personalities, whose through their speeches brought out distinctive themes and perspectives from the cross-reading of the ten Strennas of the Rector Major of the Salesians, Ángel Fernández Artime, now Cardinal.

The sociologist Roberto Cipriani, professor emeritus at the University of Rome Tre, emphasized several underlying themes right from the title: vocation (Call), agape (joy) and expectation (with hope). He identified joy as the keystone of the volume stating that joy "is the word that carries the utmost weight in the text," an integral part of the Salesian charism, and evident on the face of the true author of the book, Cardinal Fernández Artime. Cipriani further highlighted the pastoral value of the Salesian Strennas, the predominance of the human element over the spatial dimension (which nevertheless testifies to the Rector Major's commitment to his global service mission), and the utmost relevance of themes such as listening, accompaniment, and dreams.

Historian Arianna Rotondo spoke of a "spiritual strategy that is extremely current," emphasizing the necessary framework for interpreting the text. Professor Rotondo, who teaches the history of Christianity and Churches at the University of Catania, identified recurring themes in the Salesian Strennas of the 10th Successor of Don Bosco, such as the adventure of the spirit, the centrality of relationships, the communal and ecclesial dimension, and a constant attention to the signs of the times, effectively giving substance to the topics discussed. She also revealed that she had studied the text with her young university students, noting that one of the phrases that struck them the most was the message of "not through blows" in the final Salesian Strenna, perceived as a very timely message against all forms of violence.

Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, a Vatican correspondent for "Televisa," focused on the correspondence between the Salesian Strennas and the themes of Pope Francis' pontificate, whom she has personally interviewed four times. Various themes were emphasized in this elective "correspondence" between the Rector Major and the Holy Father: a keen focus on the family, or rather "families," which, in the pages of the book, leads to a "very calm and serene" reading based on Amoris Laetitia and the two Synods on the family; the model of the Church as a "house with open doors," welcoming to all, ready to reach out to others and to tend to the needs of those in the peripheries; the importance of listening, dialogue, and encounter; and the call to go beyond borders and divisions, fostering unity and inclusivity. Alazraki concluded her intervention by stating that the Salesian Strennas are a call to universal holiness, accessible to everyone, achievable in everyday life.

On the theme so dear to Card. Fernández Artime of 'presence' was the final speaker, the Director of the Catholic newspaper Avvenire, Marco Girardo. He identified ‘Presence’  as the true antidote to isolation; not to loneliness, necessary for the time of silence, discernment, and dialogue with God, but to that marginalization that today risks trapping more and more people, both in its traditional forms and in the disguised ones of the communication society, where the individual remains almost crushed by a mass of information and stimuli that he does not know and cannot manage alone. The answer, for Girardi, “lies in being close to people, in making community, especially in the suburbs, where there is an enormous demand for physical closeness. And in this the Salesians are specialists,” he concluded.

Lastly, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime expressed his gratitude for the presence of all the guests and the positive reception of the book. He emphasized the nature of the Strenna as a traditional but not superficial element of Salesian pastoral work, which dates back to the time of Don Bosco and which in today's reality must be able to speak to the realities of all five continents. He explained how the choice of the different annual Strennas was always dictated by the topicality of civil and ecclesial life. Then he cited his more than 120 trips to animate the Salesian Family around the world and his many meetings with young people. He again indicated that the guiding value of his Strennas were "communion" and "continuity in the novelty of the present", to graft his reflections on the richness of the Magisterium of the Church and the Salesian Congregation. And finally, he once again relaunched his message of confidence in the younger generations: "I deeply believe that a better world is possible, a more peaceful world. Today utopias seem to have disappeared, but we cannot accept this'.

The full footage of the press conference can be viewed here.

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