[1] In the winter of 1914,[2] Giuseppe Petazzi, a Jesuit priest, began preparations for the publication of a fortnightly journal, named Le Missioni della Compagnia di Gesù, publishing the first issue in January 1915.
The magazine aimed at promoting the work of the missions, with a specific reference to members of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in Italy.
In 1987, the magazine entered its third iteration with the adoption of the new title Popoli and the end of its cooperation with the Pontifical Mission Societies.
The magazine paid increasingly more attention to the imbalances between the global North and the South, following in the footsteps of Giuseppe Bellucci (editor-in-chief from 1976), who would ask "are we heading for a new type of exploitation, or a fairer world?".
paying increased attention to the dynamics of immigration in Italy and the transformation of a multi-ethnic society.