The Argentinean government is passing a nomination for Pope Francis as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize due to his efforts to put an end to the violence occurring in Syria.
Since his election to the papacy on March 13, Francis has been vocal about the need to stop the Syrian conflict. The violence in that country that has been occurring since March 15, 2011 has cost over 115,000 lives and displaced over 2 million refugees.
“His being the pope isn’t really relevant to the nomination,” said sophomore Clara Romani. “It’s what he did that matters. If he’s really helping the world to be a more peaceful place, then he deserves the nomination.”
Francis has repeatedly drawn attention to the Syrian conflict, asking world leaders to help put an end to it. For the occasion of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors St. Petersburg Summit, Pope Francis directed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking for his help on the matter.
“The leaders of the G20 cannot remain indifferent to the dramatic situation of the beloved Syrian people which has lasted far too long, and even risks bringing greater suffering to a region bitterly tested by strife and needful of peace,” wrote Francis. “To the leaders present, to each and every one, I make a heartfelt appeal for them to help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution.”
On Nov. 25, Putin and Francis met in person for the first time. They conversed for 35 minutes with the help of translators and mainly discussed the situation with Syria and the Middle East.
“He’s actually doing things to make a difference,” said sophomore Daniel Saatman. “He seems like a really great guy for the world, I think he deserves it [the nomination].”
Some Carlmont students, however, disagreed with Argentina’s recommendation.
“I don’t think a religious figure like the pope should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,” said sophomore Adam Stafford. “It’s his job to be against war and to be speaking out to stop them.”
On Sept. 7 Francis led a day of fasting and prayer for peace, inviting all people worldwide to join him to pray for the Middle East.
Francis has also been very persistent with this issue on Twitter, sending out numerous tweets about the need for peace from his account @Pontifex. For two weeks straight he tweeted only about helping Syria, using the hashtag #prayforpeace.
Much of Francis’ public speaking has centered around his opposition to the violence and chemical weaponry. He has taken opportunities that have previously been used to speak about traditional matters and concerns and used them instead to stress the importance of solving the Syrian conflict.
As Francis said in Sept., “The world needs to see gestures of peace and hear words of hope and of peace.”
