One of Pope Francis' stops in Verona was at the city's Roman amphitheater. In front of more than 10,000 people, the Pope participated in the Arena of Peace, the main meeting of his trip. It is an event that discusses the problems facing today's world.
At the event, an Afghan journalist and candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize spoke. She told the Pope that in her country they have seen democracy fail and war return. She also asked the Pope why this is happening and what kind of leader is needed to move forward.
POPE FRANCIS
The question is what kind of leadership can carry out this task that you have expressed so deeply. The culture strongly marked by individualism, not by community, is what makes the culture always run the risk of the community dimension disappearing. Where there is strong individualism, there is no community. And what we think of in political and demographic terms is perhaps the root of dictatorships.
One of the most powerful moments of the meeting was when an Israeli whose parents were killed on October 7 spoke, followed by a Palestinian whose brother was also killed. Together, they expressed their grief to the Pope and the audience rose to their feet in a standing ovation.
The Pope told the men that the embrace they gave each other as brothers is a great sign of hope for peace.
POPE FRANCIS
In the face of the suffering of these two brothers, which is the suffering of two peoples, nothing can be said, nothing can be said. They had the courage to embrace each other. And this is not only courage and a testimony of wanting peace, but also a project for the future.
To prepare for this meeting, working groups were created based on five themes: migration, ecology, economy, democracy and disarmament. The Arena of Peace has been working on addressing world issues since the 1980s.
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