Two peace activists, one Israeli and one Palestinian, had the opportunity to share their personal stories and a joint message of hope in front of Pope Francis on Saturday.
Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah addressed the pope in front of a crowd of 13,000 that had gathered for the "Arena of Peace – Justice and Peace Shall Embrace" event, which was chaired by Pope Francis for the first time. Embracing each other as they spoke, the two men each read a line of a poem – Inon in Hebrew and Abu Sarah in Arabic – before introducing themselves. "We are entrepreneurs, and we believe that peace is the greatest feat to be achieved," Inon said. "There can be no peace without an economy of peace. An economy that does not kill. An economy of justice."
"Our loss and our pain have made us brothers," Abu Sarah said. "We cry together, and we dream together. We dream that the walls of ignorance, fear, and hate that divide us will fall down. Both of us lost loved ones in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we have not lost our humanity or our sanity. Our pain has led us to envision a shared future together."
After they spoke, the two men approached Pope Francis and the three enclosed each other in a hug as the crowd erupted in a standing ovation.
"In the face of the suffering of these two brothers, which is the suffering of two people," Pope Francis said, "nothing can be said. They had the courage to embrace. And this is not only a testament to wanting peace but a project for the future.
"Both have lost family members, their families were broken by this war," the pope went on to say. "What is the use of this war?"
He then asked everyone in attendance to join him in a moment of silence, saying, "There is not much we can say in the face of this. Only feel."
"Let each one of us pray to the Lord for peace from our own heart and make an inner decision to do something to end war," he added before bowing his head in prayer.
Abu Sarah, a journalist and co-owner of Mejdi, a tourism company that offers alternative tours for Jews, Muslims, and Christians on both sides of the conflict, made a name for himself in 2018 when he attempted to run for mayor of Jerusalem despite not holding Israeli citizenship. His brother died during the first intifada, when Abu Sarah was only 10 years old, after being beaten in prison by Israeli soldiers. Following his brother's death, Abu Sarah became active in a joint forum for bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families.
Inon is co-founder of the Abraham hostels in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, which run similar tours to those of Abu Sarah's company. Inon's parents, Yakovi and Bilha Inon, were killed on October 7 when Hamas terrorists fired a missile into their home in Netiv Ha'asara. Since his parents' murder, Inon has continuously warned against the desire to take revenge, instead advocating for peace as a path to safety.
The pair, who both call themselves social entrepreneurs, only met each other once in passing before October 7. But when news of Inon's parents reached Abu Sarah, he felt compelled to reach out to send his condolences. Since then, the two have conveyed their joint message of peace in the face of tragedy, including last month when they shared the stage at the annual TED conference in Vancouver, Canada.
These are the words @Pontifex shared with @maozinon and I when we met him this morning at Arena di Pace in Verona. His Holiness welcomed us, prayed with us, and showed true leadership. We will forever be grateful for his support.
#Peace will never grow out of mistrust, walls, or weapons pointed at each other. Saint Paul says: "You reap what you sow" (Gal 6:7). Let us not sow death, destruction, or fear. Let us sow hope! #Verona
On Sunday, Abu Sarah posted a photo of his embrace with Inon and Pope Francis to his X account alongside the personal message the pope shared with them on stage. "Peace will never grow out of mistrust, walls, or weapons pointed at each other. Saint Paul says: 'You reap what you sow' (Gal 6:7). Let us not sow death, destruction, or fear. Let us sow hope!"
