The Pontifical Academy for Life has launched the initiative Scientists for Peace, an appeal to scientists, researchers, and academics worldwide to promote the pursuit of peace through scientific research and international cooperation. Source: EWTN News.
The project, promoted under the auspices of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, was announced amid global tensions and armed conflicts that, according to the organisers, threaten not only the affected populations but also freedom and cooperation in scientific research.
In a press release, the Vatican body recalled that its mission is to study, from an interdisciplinary perspective, issues related to the promotion and defence of human life.
Within this framework, it poses a central question: “Can scientific research, in its methods and objects of study, contribute to the pursuit of peace?”
According to the document, science – guided by the pursuit of truth and based on rigorous methodologies – develops through the exchange of knowledge and a constant willingness to engage in critical debate.
Although competition and debate are part of academic life, the manifesto’s proponents emphasise that these can be addressed through transparent communication and an effort to overcome individual interests in favour of the common good and the advancement of knowledge beyond national borders.
In this context, the initiative invites the international scientific community to advocate for peace and to work toward reconciliation and conflict resolution through the daily practice of research.
The appeal is also inspired by the words of Pope Leo XIV in his message for this year’s 59th World Day, where he states: “Peace exists; it wants to dwell within us. It has the gentle power to enlighten and expand our understanding; it resists and overcomes violence.”
The initiative is open to scientists from all disciplines, nationalities, and cultural backgrounds, regardless of their political or religious beliefs.
So far, 80 scientists have signed it. Among them are several researchers with a significant international presence in academic and media debate.
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More than 80 scientists sign Vatican peace manifesto (By Victoria Cardiel, EWTN News)
