Cover image based on photographs courtesy of Vladimiro Bibolotti / Rotary Club Roma Nord Est / St. Anne’s Parish Vatican City / Robert Duncan
The International Coalition for Extraterrestrial Research (ICER) is pleased to highlight the recent public engagements of ICER member and Honorary President of the Italian Centro Ufologico Nazionale (CUN), Vladimiro Bibolotti, who participated in two notable events in Rome focused on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), extraterrestrial life, and their broader cultural and philosophical implications.
On March 18, 2026, Bibolotti was invited to speak at an interclub dinner conference organized by the Rotary Club Roma Nord Est. The event, entitled “Gli Alieni e Noi: Dal Mito alla Realtà” (“Aliens and Us: From Myth to Reality”), explored the evolution of humanity’s understanding of non-human intelligences — from mythological and symbolic narratives to contemporary discussions surrounding UAPs and scientific disclosure efforts. The conference brought together Rotarians and guests interested in the intersection between science, culture, history, and the enduring question of whether humanity is alone in the universe.
More recently, on April 29, 2026, Bibolotti delivered a lecture at St. Anne’s Parish inside Vatican City, as part of the long-running “Cultural Wednesdays” series hosted by the parish community. The presentation, titled “UAPs from Schopenhauer to Other Forms of Intelligence,” examined the historical, philosophical, and contemporary dimensions of the UFO/UAP phenomenon, including current developments within the American disclosure movement and the broader implications of anomalous phenomena for religion, philosophy, and science.
The event attracted attention in Catholic and international media due to the unusual but increasingly visible dialogue between UAP studies and religious or theological frameworks. According to reports from Catholic News Service and OSV News, Bibolotti discussed the compatibility between the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence and Catholic thought, while also emphasizing the importance of approaching the subject through documented evidence and critical inquiry rather than speculation.
These events reflect a broader cultural shift in which the UAP topic is progressively entering academic, philosophical, religious, and institutional spaces that were historically reluctant to engage publicly with the subject. They also illustrate the growing international relevance of interdisciplinary dialogue concerning anomalous phenomena and humanity’s place within a potentially larger cosmos.
ICER congratulates Vladimiro Bibolotti for his continued efforts to foster serious and open discussion on these important topics within both public and institutional contexts.