In his message for the World Day of Human Fraternity and the presentation of the Zayed Award, Pope Leo XIV describes fraternity as an urgent necessity, stronger than conflicts, differences and tensions, Vatican News reports.

“Addressing the award recipients directly - Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia; Ms Zarqa Yaftali; and the Palestinian organisation Taawon - Pope Leo describes them as ‘sowers of hope in a world that too often builds walls instead of bridges’.

“By choosing the demanding path of solidarity over the easy path of indifference, they have shown that even the most deep-seated divisions can be healed through concrete action. Their work bears witness to the conviction that the light of fraternity can prevail over the darkness of fratricide," Vatican News adds.