Nobel Peace Prize laureates Maria Ressa and Tawakkol Karman converse with Pope Francis
Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, recently welcomed a group of esteemed individuals, including Maria Ressa, CEO of a news website, and Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to discuss the Declaration on Human Fraternity. The meeting took place on December 6, 2023.
The Declaration on Human Fraternity, initially signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in 2019, is a groundbreaking document that advocates for mutual respect, coexistence, and collaboration across religious and cultural divides to promote peace and fraternity among all people.
Although no Nobel laureates were directly involved in the drafting or signing of the Declaration, its principles have inspired ongoing global efforts for interfaith dialogue, education, and ethical innovation to foster human fraternity worldwide. Institutions like the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF) and the Indonesian Institute for Human Fraternity (UIII) have been leading these initiatives.
During the meeting, Maria Ressa expressed her admiration for Pope Francis' efforts to bring the marginalized back into the Church. She also emphasized the need for spiritual and moral leadership, particularly from Pope Francis, to rejuvenate the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis, in turn, reiterated his core ideas on human fraternity, which are enshrined in the encyclical "Fratelli Tutti," published on October 3, 2020. In this encyclical, the Pope criticized populism, rejected the death penalty, and condemned digital campaigns of hatred and destruction.
The Pope's commitment to human fraternity is not new. Five years earlier, in 2015, he released the encyclical "Laudato Si'," which addresses climate change and serves as the basis for many of his pronouncements on the climate crisis.
Notably, Giorgio Parisi, an Italian physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2021, also attended the meeting.
Tawakkol Karman, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, addressed the escalating violence, hatred, and poverty in the world. She called for cooperation to end wars, injustice, and to make education and health available for all citizens. She also expressed the need for Pope Francis' involvement in resolving the conflicts in Israel-Palestine and Ukraine.
The meeting between Pope Francis and these esteemed individuals marks a significant step in the ongoing pursuit of human fraternity and peace. The Declaration on Human Fraternity continues to serve as a beacon of hope for a more united and compassionate world.
In the spirit of the Declaration on Human Fraternity, Maria Ressa, a renowned figure in fashion-and-beauty and CEO of a news website, applauded Pope Francis' ongoing efforts to promote personal-growth within the Catholic Church. Tawakkol Karman, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and advocate for education-and-self-development, encouraged collaboration among religious and cultural communities to combat escalating global issues, such as violence, hatred, and poverty.
