Bridges of hope among young people from Israel, Palestine, and United States
By Sebastián Sansón Ferrari
“In Rome, I felt I could truly be myself. I didn’t have to pretend, or hide what I think," said Shadan Khatib—a young Palestinian Arab living in Israel—about her experience during the second edition of the Meaning Meets Us encounter, held from November 2 to 5, 2025, in Rome and the Vatican and organized by Scholas Occurrentes.
Over four days, fifty Israeli, Palestinian, and American students took part in workshops, games, moments of reflection, and prayer.
Born from the Middle Meets program, the gathering seeks to offer a space for dialogue and attentive listening among young people who have grown up amid conflict and who now long to transform distrust into friendship and fear into hope. It follows the first edition, which took place last February.
For Shadan, one of the most meaningful moments was the conversation with Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. “I shared something very intimate,” she said.
“Palestinian Arabs living within Israel carry a double identity. Every day we face deep confusion. At university or at work, we can’t always express what we think. It is difficult for both sides—Palestinian Arabs and Jewish Israelis—because there is no real dialogue. We don’t speak with freedom or with truth.”
Yet in Rome, she said, those barriers disappeared. “Here, we are all equal. Here, everyone can speak freely. I felt free, unafraid, my true self.”
As the experience drew to a close, Shadan wanted to send a message to other young people: “I encourage everyone to speak their minds without fear. These are difficult times, but we have so many tools—like artificial intelligence—to build something different. We must dare to be ourselves.”
“Behind the conflict, there are people”
From Tel Aviv, Yehonatan Grill, a student at the city’s university, expressed a similar sentiment. “After two years of war and so much pain, this gathering was a chance to breathe, to talk about what we feel, and to begin imagining a different future."
“It was very moving to see that behind all the hatred, the differing opinions, and the wounds, there are people,” he added. “People who enjoy going out, laughing, playing football, having friends. And when we get to know one another, we realize how much we share.”
For Yehonatan, the experience broke through the silence that often dominates university campuses in Israel. “In theory, the university should be a space for exchanging ideas. But in recent years, we haven’t had the freedom to speak about the conflict—not even among ourselves. This program gave us a place to listen to one another, debate, even argue—politely—but with respect and affection. That hardly exists back home.”
After the General Audience with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, 5 November, Yehonatan had the opportunity to greet the Holy Father alongside other young people from Israel, Palestine, and the United States.
“I told the Pope about our program, that we are building bridges among Jews, Muslims, and Christians. He told me that we must all work for peace and that he knows how important this is in Israel. He smiled and encouraged us to continue.” That smile, Yehonatan said, became a sign of hope.
“It reminded us that we all deserve a better future—and that changing things begins with us: by talking to one another, meeting one another, building community. Behind every difference, there are human beings who want to live in peace.”
“True peace rises from below and is built by the young”
The global director of Scholas Occurrentes, José María del Corral, explained that this second edition took on a different tone from the gathering held in February. “We thought that, after the end of the war, we would find more joy. But what we saw were sad faces—young people discouraged, with little hope. Yet when the Scholas activities began, they recovered something priceless: their inner child.”
Through trust-building games, artistic exercises, and moments of silence, the participants rediscovered a new sense of freedom.
“Many said,” Del Corral said, “that in their countries they live with a double personality. But here, in the Vatican, they could be themselves. In one activity, an Israeli and a Palestinian both thanked Cardinal Koovakad for giving them a space where they felt equal and heard. That is the Church as mother—welcoming all.”
This was no theoretical or distant exchange. “Some had fought in the war; others had lost family members,” Del Corral pointed out. “They weren’t speaking from books but from life. And yet, here they met, looked one another in the eye, and began to believe again.”
Pope Leo XIV greeted them personally after the General Audience, encouraging them to share this experience within their communities. “They are convinced that true peace does not come from above,” Del Corral concluded, “but from within and from below. As Francis used to say, and as Leo XIV now repeats: young people are not the future—they are the present. And this present needs their courage to build bridges.”
Thus, amid tears, laughter, and long silences, the young people of Middle Meets return to their countries with a shared commitment: to keep talking, keep listening, keep dreaming of a peace that is not imposed but born of the heart. “Artificial intelligence may predict the future,” Del Corral told them, “but you can create it.”
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