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By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The 2025 General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life, focusing on the theme “The End of the World? Crises, Responsibilities, Hopes,” is taking place on March 3-5 at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome. 

A press conference was held at the Holy See Press Office on Monday to present the international conference, which brings together Nobel Laureates, planetologists, physicists, biologists, paleoanthropologists, theologians, and historians.

Those speaking at the press conference included Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life; Professor Katalin Karikó, Nobel Prize winner for Medicine 2023; Professor Guido Tonelli, University of Pisa, Italy; Professor Henk ten Have, Anáhuac University in Mexico City, Mexico; and Sister Giustina Holha Holubets, SSMI, NGO Perinatal Hospice, Lviv, Ukraine.

The Holy Father had sent a  of encouragement to the Assembly participants, which the Press Office published on Monday.

Ahead of the press conference, the Deputy Director of the Holy See Press Office, Cristiane Murray, acknowledged that everyone is praying together for 杏MAP导航 Francis as he receives treatment for bilateral pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia began by observing that the event's theme recognizes the growing awareness of a sort of "polycrisis" that 杏MAP导航 Francis has acknowledged in the past.

Amid the dramatic realities that threaten the planet and even threaten to "submerge" us, said the Archbishop, if everyone comes together, it can help us combat this phenomenon.

Nobel Prize Winner, Dr. Karikó, expressed her delight for the encounter, observing that, especially amid all that is happening around the world, there is so much common ground that enables scientists and experts to accomplish significant achievements together.

In particular, Dr. Karikó noted her great optimism to pursue discussions and adopt solutions together.

Professor Guido Tonelli reflected on the evolution over time of science and technology and how our lives have "radically changed" due to these changes.

At the same time, he noted that, despite including a series of risks, technological advances present an abundance of possibilities and developments for humanity.

Professor Henk ten Hav offered an educational perspective, noting that studies show how many young people are very pessimistic about the future.

Given this, he highlighted that education has a key role to provide a solution to this doom and gloom perspective, which, he noted, is not a new phenomenon but has been overcome before. Therefore, he explained the necessity of placing these viewpoints within a historic context.

Award-winning Sister Giustina Holha Holubets reflected on her experience as a clinical psychologist at the Lviv Medical Genetic Center at the Institute of Hereditary Pathology of National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine and as President of the "Perinatal Hospice ? Imprint of Life."

While she recognized that often among doctors certain prenatal diagnoses reflecting congenital and hereditary defects often lead to abortion, there are nonetheless couples who decide not to abort and continue the pregnancy.

The non-profit organization "Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of Life," she explained, has become an important resource for all these Ukrainian couples who find themselves in this situation by proving perinatal palliative care in Ukraine.

After beginning its activity in 2013 and operating in Lviv since 2017, the organization has expanded its activities to other cities of Ukraine to help parents and their terminally ill children with highly qualified and multidisciplinary care.

Over the past decade, based on the experience of many countries, Sister Giustina said she has seen a rise in awareness that perinatal hospice offers children a place of true love, in which a group of professionals provide support to parents and relatives until the child is born.

She explained that through this work and commitment, such couples are accordingly offered the appropriate assistance at medical, psychological, social, and spiritual levels.