It was a scene that should have hogged media attention around the world — as a photograph that would have launched a thousand conversations on the very meaning of humanity. But it didn’t. The media chose to ignore it, leading us to wonder if we have created a blind and insensitive social bubble around us.

Let us talk about the scene. On March 24, dozens of women marched hand in hand, barefoot, on the streets of Rome. These were mothers from Gaza and Israel. Their children or relatives were victims of the violence unleashed by Hamas and the revenge extracted by Israel.

Their message was loud and clear: The residents of Israel and Gaza both consider themselves children of Adam and Eve, and all they need is peace. The march was a lesson for those who think every Israeli wants to burn Gaza down.

These women met Pope Leo XIV on March 25. The Pope had already made an appeal for peace. But did he talk to the US or Europe at the behest of these mothers? There has been no news of his reactions since then. When and where would he get a better opportunity to use his influence and the moral authority of his office?

We are living in times of dwarves, not leaders. The global community prior to and just after World War II saw giants such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, whose actions, appeals and........

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