Alsama Projet: Still Humans – Art, Humanity & Bioethics
Press Release II
by Renata S Beman (PhD)
We are one step closer to our exhibition – Thank you!
“It all started when I saw the Alsama project in a report by Sky News” This was the phase that opened our video a few months ago. It has been more than one year since the project started. Powered by hope and tenacity, we’re still going on, one step closer to developing our beautiful exhibition featuring artwork created by 100 children.
It has been an incredible experience, from meeting Alsama for the first time to getting to know their unique educational model that has changed the lives of many children. It took many meetings to design materials and select topics, in preparation for starting our online classes amid war. We successfully managed to present to the children ten topics, such as “healing with love, the struggle of humanity, but also discussed works of art and literature from Caravaggio to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, with moments of reflection on the importance of creativity and imagination.
With imaginary invisible glasses that let us colourfully see the world, even when we did not have colours. Despite the limitations, our classes were extraordinary, with the children participating, smiling, and asking many questions. They also shared their life experiences and how they feel about a world that sometimes makes them, refugee children, feel invisible, uncomfortable, and excluded. As a result of the project, they are reassured that art, education, and equality are about being a person and a right for all. Being a refugee today doesn’t mean being a refugee always; besides that, a title doesn’t define them. I am fascinated by their kindness, intelligence, talents and enthusiasm for education.
There have been so many moments, but during the class on inspirational people, I was thrilled to see the children’s reactions when we discussed the importance of people who dedicate their lives towards doing good for others. We talked about the importance of our creatures on our planet and in nature. Another beautiful moment was when we closed our eyes and placed our hands over our hearts,reflecting on the importance of integrating thinking (head), feeling/empathy (heart), and practical action (hands) to be fully human and to build a just world effectively.
With fantastic memories and hearts full of hope, we are moving towards phase two of the project (developing an art exhibition). We are designing the concept, with a message of humanity from all children to the world.
It would not be possible without the kindness of the donations we received to purchase the art materials. Here I say thank you to everyone who donated. It meant a lot. Thank you also for believing in us and for stepping aside and recognising that these are children, not to judge them, but to embrace them.
Also, a special thank you to Mrs Bouchra Yassin for attending the classes of the first phase and finding time to organise the children. To Luca, our filmmaker, and to the Uffizi Gallery, Firenze, for showing much kindness in welcoming me to record the video in the Sala di Sandro Botticelli. Thank you to Prof. Alberto García Gómez and the Department of Bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum.
I would like to welcome Mr Mohomed Hamdan (Alsama new art coordinator) and Mr Amjad Hhaji (Alsamadirector of education), who will lead the next steps of art creation with me. We now hope to showcase our exhibition in Europe and take it to my city, Maceió, and to the “Caminho das Águas” in the beautiful Alagoas, Brasil.
In times of chaos, charity is more important than ever. This initiative brings you a message of hope, peace, love, and tenacity, and even when times seem too much to bear, put on your invisible glasses and look at the world with kindness.
by Beatriz García Pereña, intern of UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights
On September 30, interns from the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights participated in the seminar“The Economy at the Service of Integral Development – Acting Together to Leave No One Behind”, jointly promoted by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations Agencies in Rome and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Rome served as the setting for this gathering, held at IFAD headquarters, where diplomatic representatives, non-governmental organizations, civil society actors, students, and UN officials came together to engage in dialogue on the devastating impact of poverty and inequality around the world.
The various sessions of speakers, moderated by IFAD’s Secretary, Dr. Claudia Ten Have, contributed to a dialogue between IFAD’s mission, aimed at sustaining and supporting local rural economies to combat hunger and poverty, and the vision of integral ecology proposed in the encyclical Laudato si’. The encyclical’s approach, emphasizing the care for our common home, recognizes the complex system of interconnections among the environment, society, cultures, institutions, and the economy.
The day began by highlighting the current challenges related to food insecurity, poverty, growing inequalities, and violence. The opening discussion adopted an economic perspective, addressing issues such as the impact of inflation on food security and the development of rural economies. This was followed by a reflection on poverty awareness, which affects both the dignity and hope of individuals, and which demands a holistic vision of reality. In this context, the importance of placing the human person at the center was underscored, ensuring that the economy remains at the service of humanity, and not the other way around.
Another key point was the need to foster an authentic integral human development, linked to the promotion of a subsidiary economy and the relevance of family farming. Within this framework, the seminar identified four fundamental pillars of such development: economic, social, cultural, and spiritual. The discussion also addressed growing distrust toward global institutions and the spread of misinformation, emphasizing the urgency of listening to people in order to restore legitimacy and confidence in those institutions. Furthermore, it was stressed that the education of new generations is essential to ensuring resilience, not only in the present, but especially for the future.
The second panel focused on case studies, engaging participants through precise and impactful questions and statements. The discussion revealed a lack of investment at the grassroots level—employment, education, youth, and rural development—as a major obstacle to overcoming poverty. Participants also denounced the short-term vision of many programs and the inadequacy of governmental action. Finally, the need to adopt a holistic approach and to formulate problems in concrete terms was reiterated, so as to avoid falling into abstract or undefined programs.
The dialogue was further enriched by a Q&A session following the two panels, which allowed the audience to delve deeper into the topics presented. This exchange fostered direct interaction between the speakers and representatives of civil society and various organizations, all seeking to reach common ground and propose practical solutions.
In the final part of the seminar, Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the three UN agencies for food and agriculture based in Rome (FAO, WFP, and IFAD), took the floor. He concluded the seminar by describing integral development as a moralimperative, as it involves the full realization of the human person. He also called for the urgent need to guarantee secure economic and food accessibility, guided by a logic of solidarity and hope in response to the fragility and needs of today’s world.
In this context, Monsignor recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV, pronounced on September 12, 2025, during the World Meeting on Human Fraternity:
“We need a broad ‘human alliance,’ founded not on power but on care; not on profit but on giving; not on suspicion but on trust. Care, generosity, and trust are not virtues for leisure: they are the pillars of an economy that does not kill, but rather intensifies and broadens participation in life.”
In light of this message, Monsignor Chica Arellano emphasized the importance of an economy truly at the service of all people, one oriented toward the common good and conceived as a necessary path to authentic human well-being.
This vision requires embracing and putting into practice the principle of fraternity, encapsulated in the expression “Leave No One Behind.” Monsignor highlighted that this principle enables individuals to develop their own life projects and express their unique gifts, integrating and transcending the principle of solidarity.
Within this framework, the words of Pope Leo XIV are particularly relevant:
“Fraternity is the most authentic name of closeness. It means rediscovering the face of the other. And in the face of the poor, the refugee, even the adversary, recognizing the Mystery: for believers, the very image of God.”
Building on this call to fraternity, Monsignor stressed the need to build a shared future of hope, reminding that “if it is not together, it does not work.” Hope, he added, must be the driving force that inspires our lives, and it is essential to work with hope in order to create constructive relationships directed toward the common good.
21 novembre 2025 • IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo” – Trieste (Italia)
L’iniziativa nasce dalle tematiche esplorate nel corso dell’anno dal Comitato Etico per la Pratica Clinica dell’IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo” di Trieste. In chiusura della Settimana Mondiale della Prematurità, la direttrice dell’Ospedale, dott.ssa Francesca Tosolini, sottolinea l’obiettivo: “stimolare una riflessione condivisa tra componenti del Comitato Etico, professionisti della salute e cittadinanza sui dilemmi etici connessi alle cure intensive dei neonati prematuri”.
In una prospettiva personalista, l’evento affronterà i temi della proporzionalità delle cure e del rifiuto dell’accanimento terapeutico, della desistenza terapeutica, delle cure palliative e dell’accompagnamento nel fine vita, riaffermando il rispetto pieno e incondizionato della dignità umana, soprattutto dei più fragili.
Questa azione formativa risponde al mandato dei Comitati Etici indicato dall’art. 19, lett. d) della Dichiarazione Universale dell’UNESCO su Bioetica e Diritti Umani: promuovere dibattito pubblico, educazione e sensibilizzazione in materia di bioetica, favorendo il coinvolgimento della società civile.
Cosa aspettarsi
Storytelling: come ricorda Fabiano Nigris, Presidente del Comitato Etico, il formato narrativo permetterà di dare voce alle esperienze vissute dai genitori (attraverso le associazioni familiari) e agli operatori sanitari, ciascuno con la propria sensibilità, mantenendo il Bambino al centro
Dialogo interdisciplinare: clinici, bioeticisti e giuristi discuteranno casi concreti di TIN, con attenzione a trasparenza, decisioni condivise e comunicazione compassionevole
Ospite: contributo della bioeticista prof.ssa Giorgia Brambilla (Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum, Roma)
A chi è rivolto
Personale di TIN e area materno-infantile, pediatri, infermieri, psicologi, assistenti sociali, cappellani, giuristi, membri di comitati etici, studenti, associazioni di familiari e chiunque sia interessato ai temi della prematurità e dell’etica in neonatologia.
This May 2025, the University of Houston Honors College is proud to launch a transformative study abroad opportunity — the Medicine & Society Program, in partnership with the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights. Hosted in the Eternal City of Rome, this unique, week-long program invites students to explore the ethical, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of medicine through a global lens.
Why This Program Matters
In an age of rapid scientific progress and global interconnection, the practice of medicine demands more than clinical skill — it calls for a deep understanding of the human condition. The Medicine & Society Program responds to this need by weaving together philosophy, neuroscience, bioethics, and art to foster an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to healthcare.
Students will examine essential questions like:
Am I something or someone?
What makes a good doctor or caregiver?
Are we merely our brains?
What beauty will save the world?
These are not just academic inquiries — they are not the building blocks of a more human, reflective, and ethical approach to medicine.
A Classroom Without Walls
Structured over 5 immersive days (May 12–16, 2025), the program blends morning seminars with afternoon site-based learning, where Rome itself becomes the classroom. From exploring the Colosseum and Vatican Museums to reflecting on art and science at Church of St. Jerome of Charity and the rooms of St. Philip Neri and Academy of Sanitary Art History, students will encounter living history and enduring ideas at every turn.
Course Highlights Include:
Lectures by global experts in bioethics, neuroscience, and medical humanities
Collaborative seminars hosted at the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum
Cultural tours of iconic Roman landmarks and lesser-known spiritual sites
Daily dialogue on intercultural medicine, personhood, and human rights
Academic Credit & Future Pathways
This experience is anchored in the Honors College course HON3397H: Global Bioethics, offering academic credit and laying a foundation for further study, research, or careers in medicine, law, ethics, public health, and the humanities. Students will also be introduced to international graduate opportunities and research networks supported by the UNESCO Chair.
On May 23, 2025, Fr. Prof. Joseph Tham, Chair Fellow, will introduce 1) the topic of CRISPR during the 2025 Special Lecture of the Nicholas Cardinal Cheong Graduate School for Life, Catholic University of Korea; on May 25, 2025, he will present 2) “The Meaning of the Encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” in the History of Bioethics” during the 2025 International Conference of the Catholic Institute of Bioethics, University of Korea.
Topic: CRISPR and Genetically Modified Humans
This conference will first look at the advances of gene editing techniques especially that of the recent development of CRISPR. The technology has many applications in plants, animals and humans. The focus will be on how this breakthrough can now modify, enhance, and correct the human genome in different types of cells. We will look at how gene editing can be applied to somatic and germline cells, for the purpose of treatment or enhancement. Looking at the case of He Jinkuai, and the different statements from the American, British, and UN, we can project the future development of gene editing as GM humans become a real possibility.
The Meaning of the Encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” in the History of Bioethics
Thirty years ago, the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae was published. Other than a coherent and forceful defense of human life at its beginning and natural end, it coined the terminology of Culture of Life and Culture of Death. This presentation will look at some of the cultural changes in the last half century which can impact societal attitudes towards life issues. First, there is the phenomenon of the secularization in different ambits including bioethics. Second, there is a polarization and politization of these controversial issues. Third, we will delve into the change in the conception of selfhood according to Charles Taylor, which has corresponding influence on the concept of human dignity. The contrast between the essential and existential selves mark the divide between the traditional prolife stance and the liberal pro choice positions. The new development towards infanticide will be mentioned.
