Nobel laureates and activists, the World Meeting on Human Fraternity returns to Rome

"Fraternity is not only the result of conditions of respect for individual freedoms, nor even of a certain regulated equity. [...] Fraternity has something positive to offer to freedom and equality'. Thus we read in the encyclical Fratelli tutti, an invitation to rediscover the generative power of fraternity in today's world. It is precisely from this spirit that the World Meeting on Human Fraternity 2025, this year in its third edition, comes to life. The appointment is set for Friday 12 and Saturday 13 September in Rome, promoted by St Peter's Basilica. The objective of the initiative is clear and urgent: to question ourselves, together, on what it means to be human today, in an era crossed by conflicts, loneliness, new forms of poverty, environmental crises and challenges linked to technological progress. An opportunity to dialogue, share experiences and build, starting from fraternity, new paths of hope and common responsibility.

The beating heart of the Meeting on Friday 12 September will be the 15 thematic Tables (entitled: Agriculture; Environment and Sustainability; Local Administrators; Art and Literature; Children; Economy and Finance; Education; Political Training; Business; Information; Artificial Intelligence; Labour; Health; Sport; Third Sector), real laboratories for discussion and planning. These tables will meet in particularly symbolic places in the city, such as the Campidoglio, the FAO, the headquarters of the European Union, the ABI and the Province of Rome, to emphasise the importance of an open dialogue between institutions, civil society, academia and the world of information. It will be a unique opportunity to network ideas, experiences and good practices, with the aim of making fraternity values concrete and building new prospects for the future together.

"The experience of the Tables helps to meet and listen to each other, to know and recognise each other. Rediscovering fraternity and choosing words and gestures based on the human can nourish the life of institutions and companies, hospitals and sports centres... up to Artificial Intelligence. The world needs a new 'Alliance of the human' and to write together a new grammar of fraternity; Pope Leo XIV recalled this in his first audience: 'Before being believers, we are called to be human'. Also in the evening of the 13th, fraternity will be the protagonist, told through the universal language of music and the stories of those who have made it a life choice. A jubilee event to spread grace in the world'. This was stated by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti.

On Saturday 13 September, in the evocative setting of the Hall of Horatii and Curiazi at the Campidoglio, the Human Assembly will be held. It will be a moment of extraordinary value, led by Nobel Laureates and representatives of international institutions. The participants will gather the work done in the thematic tables of the previous day and will start a "synodal path" with the aim of involving communities around the world to recognise and illuminate "what it means to be human today". Among others, the following will take part: Mauro Gambetti, Cardinal, Archpriest of St Peter's Basilica, Vicar General of Vatican City and President of the Fabbrica di San Pietro; Graça Machel Mandela, Mozambican activist and politician, co-founder and Vice-President of The Elders, former Minister of Education and Culture of Mozambique, former First Lady of Mozambique and South Africa; Maria Ressa, Filipino-American journalist and entrepreneur, Co-Founder and CEO (Executive Editor) of Rappler, Nobel Peace Prize 2021; Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia SIPA and distinguished fellow at the Institute of Global Politics.

Furthermore, on Saturday evening, St. Peter's Square will become the centre of an international event entitled 'Grace for the World'. World famous witnesses and artists will take turns on stage, including live musical performances by Maestro Andrea Bocelli, Pharrell Williams with the gospel choir Voices of Fire, John Legend, the choir of the Diocese of Rome directed by Maestro Marco Frisina, and an international choir. The show will be made even more evocative by an aerial display of drones and lights by Nova Sky Stories, with images inspired by the Sistine Chapel. The event will be the culmination of two intense days of spiritual and cultural initiatives, to celebrate the power of fraternity, address a symbolic embrace to the world and renew the collective commitment to protect Creation.