Scholas and Middle Meets – A Dialogue Seminar at the Vatican in Rome
Scholas and Middle Meets: An Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue Seminar at the Vatican in Rome
Majid Alsayegh, Dialogue Institute Board Chair
From November 2 through 7, 2025, I joined a seminar on dialogue for 42 college students from Israel, Palestine, and the United States (Georgetown University) hosted by Scholas in Rome and Middle Meets from Hebrew University in Israel. Scholas is an international non-profit organization founded by Pope Francis in 2013 to provide young people with opportunities to engage with one another and propose solutions to the challenges facing their communities. Middle Meets is a group at Hebrew University in Israel that facilitates proactive dialogues between college students in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The students shared personal experiences with the recent hostilities and the long-term Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an open and vulnerable manner. Hearing of the trauma and pain on both sides was deeply emotional, with both students and facilitators often moved to tears. The students were coached through exercises that encouraged deep thought and listening, allowing for anonymous responses to what each was hearing and experiencing, with the intention of facilitating frank dialogue about difficult issues.
Student leaders from Israel, Palestine, and the United States (Georgetown University).
The format included many small-group sessions for enhanced interactions. Questions were posed about political options for future peace agreements. What are the challenges and risks with each option? What role can youth, universities, and media play in working towards a better future? What needs to happen so that all humans in the region can live freely, with equality and dignity?
As one would expect, there were challenging moments. But the students also exhibited their maturity and ability to empathize across differences. And to a person, they said this was an amazing opportunity, unlike any they had experienced to date. On the last day of the program, the group was invited to meet with Pope Leo after his address to a crowd of thousands in St. Peter's Square. He congratulated the students on their efforts and encouraged them to persist in helping build peace in our world.
On a personal note… I learned that Pope Leo was gifted an Arabian horse, named Proton, from Poland in October. I looked up the pedigree and realized the horse is the grandson of a stallion named Hlayyil Ramadan, owned by Princess Alia of Jordan. Princess Alia had authored a book on the history of the Arabian horses of the Royal Stud in Jordan that includes this stallion’s photo on the cover. I brought a copy and gifted it to Pope Leo. He seemed very happy to have a book about the history of his own horse!
It was a privilege to help facilitate this workshop, and I applaud the Vatican and my colleagues who helped organize this experience for the students. It is extremely rare to have people from regions of hostility involved in such open opportunities for dialogue, understanding, and a path forward.
