Pope Speaks at Harvard WorldMUN in Rome

In a speech at the 2016 Harvard World Model United Nations in Rome last Thursday, Pope Francis urged international unity as a remedy for the ills of the modern world.

“The issues and challenges you discuss are not faceless,” the Pope said through a translator. “Behind every difficulty our world is facing, there are men and women, young and old, people just like you.”

The conference gathered approximately 2,400 delegates, who hailed from some 110 different countries, according to Joseph P. Hall ’16, the Secretary-General of Harvard WorldMUN.

Addressing the delegates, many of whom were waving their respective national flags, the Pope said, “I am especially pleased to know that your members represent so many nations and cultures and, therefore, reflect the rich diversity of our human family.”

The greatest benefit of delegates’ time in Rome, the Pope continued, did not have to do with learning about diplomacy, international systems or organizations, but rather their time together and their encounters with people from around the world.

WorldMUN organizers said they were inspired by the pontiff’s message.

“I think the papacy is a tremendously important figure in international relations no matter what era it is,” Hall said, “and I think this Pope in particular has taken on a message that resonates with our generation very well because he’s got a message of inclusion, of service, and of equality.”

Rajkumar S. Pammal ’17, another member of the WorldMUN team, called the experience surreal.

“As the Pope walked down the aisle from the back of the auditorium to the elevated stage where he took his seat in between two cardinals, every member of the audience was truly captivated,” Pammal said.

Many delegates, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the organization of the conference. For a number of delegates, the Pope’s message of international unity was overshadowed by more immediate concerns about the conference’s logistics. Through the Harvard WorldMUN’s Facebook page, many participants raised concerns with the price of the conference, the availability of amenities, and the organization of the leadership.

Sam R. Povey, a student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, for instance, criticized on Facebook what he called “the lack of experienced chairs, actual chairs, tables, buses, and pages.”

The organizers of Harvard WorldMUN responded by echoing the Pope’s message of international unity and cooperation.

In a letter to delegates posted on its Facebook page, Hall and the WorldMUN organizing committee urged attendees to focus on the positive aspects of their experience.

“As we all know from Model UN,” the letter read, “being angry about problems without helping to create solutions is not constructive.”