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From the administrator of NASA, to NFL legend Tom Brady, to the mayor of New York City, to 25 Nobel peace prize winners, to country music star Garth Brooks, the Vatican is gathering a unique and eclectic group of international figures to discuss human fraternity on May 10 and 11, 2024. Those who participate in this second edition of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity, organized by the Fratelli Tutti Foundation, will be received by Pope Francis, who will personally take part in the event as well in a roundtable discussion with children on May 11.
“What we dream of is to bring the world's attention back to those dynamics, attitudes, sensitivities and intelligences that speak of the human, in a world that seems to us to be dissolving [in this regard],” Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, said at a press conference presenting the event on May 7, 2024.
The event’s aim is to “recognize each other as brothers in order to walk together.”
The two-day event will feature 12 round-tables on themes ranging from sports, health, peace, and more, where important figures and experts from across the world will have a chance to discuss.
A meeting with Pope Francis is scheduled on the morning of Saturday, May 11, and then the World Meeting will end with a concert on Saturday evening in the portico of St. Peter’s Basilica.
This performance will feature various Italian performers and American country singer Garth Brooks. The "Hymn of Fraternity," composed especially for the occasion, will be sung.
Round table dedicated to peace
The event will begin in the morning on May 10 with the Nobel Peace Prize winners and other influential figures taking part in a round table dedicated to peace, to be inaugurated by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope's Secretary of State.
Twenty-five Nobel Peace Prize winners will be taking part in the second edition of the Meeting. Many of them already participated in the first World Meeting on Human Fraternity, held at the Vatican on June 10, 2023.
During that event they co-signed with Pope Francis a “Declaration on Human Fraternity,” which called for the institution of a “Ministry for Peace,” inspired by the Pontiff’s encyclical Fratelli Tutti published in 2020.
Among those participating in the 2024 edition are leaders from 17 international organizations that have been recognized with this prestigious award, with 6 of them being related to the United Nations.
Among those present will be Muhammad Yunus, economist and founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize; Russian journalist Dmitrij Andreevič Muratov, and Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, winners of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize; as well as the husband of Iranian feminist activist Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 prizewinner who is currently in prison.
Among the other important figures are Graça Machel Mandela, former First Lady of South Africa; Bill Nelson, Administrator of NASA; Eric Leroy Adams, the mayor of New York; and the Dutch Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau.
Meeting with the Pope and the round tables
A papal audience for all those participating in the Human Fraternity Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 11. On this occasion, the Nobel Prize winners and other influential figures will give to the Pope the results of their reflection and he will deliver a speech.
Most of the thematic round tables will take place on Saturday afternoon and numerous famous participants are scheduled to host or attend, such as the economist Jeffrey Sachs. A round-table discussion dedicated to sports, for example, will see the participation of famous American quarterback Tom Brady and the coach of the Italian national soccer team, Luciano Spalletti.
In all, 12 round tables are being organized throughout the Italian capital and the Vatican, with the main theme being the place of humanity in society.
“The more the world sinks into darkness, the more man seeks light. I believe that the appointment we are living goes in this direction: a man, a woman, a humanity thirsting for light,” said Father Enzo Fortunato, spokesman of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the press conference.
The Pope will take part in a round-table discussion with children
As part of the round tables taking place on Saturday afternoon, Pope Francis will be personally participating in one with a group of children at 4:00 p.m.. Dedicated to “Future Generations,” this discussion will take place in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. The Pontiff will talk with the young participants about the challenges faced by today’s children.
This event is also seen as a prelude to the first World Children’s Day, to be held at the Vatican on May 25 and 26.
