Pope Francis: "War is a deception"

Pope Francis expressed concern on Saturday for “the planet in flames” because of wars during his meeting with the participants of '#BeHuman', the world meeting on human fraternity that brings together 30 Nobel Prize laureates and top figures from international bodies at the Vatican for a dialogue on peace.

“On a planet in flames, you have come together to reaffirm your 'no' to war and ‘yes’ to peace, bearing witness to the humanity that unites us and makes us recognise each other as brothers, in the mutual gift of our respective cultural differences,” the pope told the delegates.

Among those attending the meeting are New York Mayor Eric Adams, retired U.S. football star Tom Brady, country singer Garth Brooks, former first lady of South Africa Graca Machel Mandela, and Nobel laureates Maria Ressa and Jody Williams.

The pontiff said that “war is a deception. War is always a defeat, as is the idea of international security based on the deterrent of fear. It is another deception. To ensure lasting peace, we must return to a recognition of our common humanity and place fraternity at the center of peoples' lives."

The two-day meeting has been organised by the 'Fratelli tutti' foundation and will consist of 12 thematic tables set up in different locations in Rome, such as the Palazzo de Campidoglio and the Vatican's Chancellery.

The Nobel laureates will debate with scientists, economists, doctors, managers, workers, sports champions from various parts of the world, with the aim, according to a note of presentation, "of looking for alternatives to wars and poverty", with proposals to "understand where the principle of fraternity is already present in social life and discern the parameters needed to measure it".