International meeting for peace in Assisi: More than words, concrete action

The International Meeting for Peace opened in Assisi on the afternoon of October 25. The meeting, themed Unarmed and Disarming Peace, follows the 2026 World Day of Peace message from Pope Leo XIV.

Hala Alkarib, regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, spoke at the opening assembly. Speaking to Vatican News, Alkarib noted that peacebuilding is difficult in a global environment that enables violence. She highlighted the conflict in Sudan, where more than 250,000 civilians have died over the last four years. Alkarib reported that the violence in Sudan includes the looting of homes, churches, mosques, and museums, as well as increased sexual and gender-based violence. She stated that this violence is spreading beyond Sudan to other regions.

The gathering takes place forty years after the Spirit of Assisi meeting held by Pope John Paul II.