“We reject war” reflections from The Vatican’s World Meeting on Human Fraternity

by Dr. David Onazi, IPPNW Co-President

On 10-11 May 2024, The Vatican’s Fratelli Tutti Foundation brought twenty Noble Laureates and leaders together for the second World Meeting on Human Fraternity. Represented by three of our four Co-Presidents — Drs. Kati Juva, David Onazi, and Carlos Umaña — IPPNW participated in the meeting and the drafting of the Declaration, “We Reject War: Let diplomacy prevail over arms. We want Peace!”, ensuring that the urgent need to eliminate nuclear weapons was captured in the final statement.

On the first day of the meeting at the Nobel Laureates Roundtable, IPPNW leaders made statements alongside a number of other Nobel Laureates:

• Carlos Umaña emphasized that “the Peace declaration should include an explicit mention to non-violence and also the need to talk about nuclear weapons as an existential threat, that a nuclear war is not something anyone can prepare for, nor fight against. That it would not last years, months or days, but minutes, and that the unlucky ones who survive it will realize it happened when it is over”. Carlos went further to state that “he agrees whole heartedly with the declarations of Joyce Ajlouny, Secretary General of the American Friends’ Service Committee regarding the explicit mention of Gaza and the war crimes committed therein”.
• David Onazi stressed that “peace education be included in the Peace declaration; that a vast majority of the people of the world are ignorant of the threat nuclear weapons pose to humanity and the world”. He went further to say it’s not enough to say let there be peace but important to have people aware of the consequences of nuclear war on health and that educating the people of the world via various platforms –radio, social media et al can result in people pressuring their various governments into embracing a world without nuclear weapons and settling for peace”.
• Kati Juva then made a statement saying “she agrees on the change of the words Holy Land to Middle East”. She went further to stress that elimination of nuclear weapons should be included in the chapter defining peace in this way, “protecting children , controlling arm sales, ELIMINATING NUCLEAR WEAPONS, having dignified work and access to health care…” . She went further to say “Peace in not merely the absence of war OR CONFLICTS BUT A NON-VIOLENT RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS”. She concluded her remarks saying that whenever possible the word MAN should be replaced by HUMAN, and when referring to this “general man” should be referred as HE/SHE.

The round table discussions had moments of heated debate and, of course, it was all geared toward a Peace declaration that captures all the concerns and interests of the notable Peace advocates. Day one ended with a dinner where more fraternization and exchange of ideas on alternatives to war and poverty took place, with anticipation of day two.

The important highlights of day two, 11 May, were the private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican and the official visit to the Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Palazzo del Quirinale.

During his remarks, Pope Francis mentioned the immorality of nuclear weapons and the investment in companies building them. He went further to stress the false premise of nuclear deterrence, as it “inevitably ends up poisoning relationships between people and obstructing any possible form of dialogue”.

The final Peace Declaration presented to the Pope included our key messages:

“…..Peace is eliminating nuclear weapons. Never again Hiroshima and Nagasaki… Weapons of war, especially nuclear ones, do not keep us safe; they threaten all life on Earth.” 

The Italian President strongly supported the final Peace declaration in his statement during the official visit to the Palazzo del Quirinale.

We look forward to continuing our work with the Vatican’s Fratelli Tutti Foundation, fellow Noble Laureates, and global network to advance the abolition of nuclear weapons.