50 Nobel laureates issue a letter to religious leaders calling for ceasefire

Nobel Laureates address religious leaders. Photo: kasparov.ru

In Paris, 50 Nobel laureates have issued a call to religious leaders to facilitate a ceasefire during the Olympic Games in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, reports Ukrainska Pravda, citing Novaya Gazeta.

The text of the letter, addressed to the warring parties, Pope Francis, Bishop Bartholomew of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Dalai Lama XIV, representatives of Islam and Judaism, the UN, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), was published by the French newspaper Le Monde on Saturday, 13 July.

The Nobel laureates urge politicians to focus on ending the fighting, and religious leaders to directly appeal to the people.

The authors of the letter outlined specific steps for a ceasefire: first and foremost, to cease fire, exchange prisoners, and return hostages. They called for the initiation of peace negotiations, and if politicians today are unable to find a peaceful solution, to pass it on to future generations.

According to the letter, "By the end of this year, the number of those killed and injured in central Europe is expected to exceed one million, for the first time since World War II... Most of the victims are people between the ages of 30 and 40, meaning approximately 40 years of lost life expectancy for each of them. Thus, every 100,000 people killed is equal to 4 million years not lived – discoveries not made, children not born, orphans suffering."

The letter states that, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, defense budgets around the world have increased so much that these funds, if spent on other purposes, could slow global climate change or eradicate world hunger within 80 years.

"Increased arms spending is also comparable to the expenditures needed to eliminate hunger throughout the world for eighty years to come. Just think of it: no one would go hungry or die of exhaustion, and no child would be left unnourished. However, instead of sustaining life, resources are wasted on spreading death."

"There must be a ceasefire. Stop the loss of life. Prevent a nuclear catastrophe," they conclude their open letter with these words.

As reported by the UOJ, in the village of Slidy, Vinnytsia region, priests of the Mohyliv-Podilskyi diocese of the UOC conducted a funeral service for the innocently killed civilians of the village: a 40-year-old woman and her two children, aged 9 and 10, who tragically died on July 8 as a result of a rocket attack by Russian forces on the city of Kyiv.

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