PAX AGRICULTURA Plants a White Rose for Peace at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima

World Food Prize Laureate Heidi Kühn brings her global “Peace Through Agriculture” movement to Portugal, a symbol of peace and food security on All Saints’ Day

FATIMA, PORTUGAL, November 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On the occasion of All Saints’ Day, Heidi Kühn, Founder and CEO of PAX AGRICULTURA, visited the Shrine of Fátima as part of her worldwide journey to establish ‘Global Gardens for Food Security’ and plant peace through agriculture. The Shrine welcomed her proposal to mark this journey with the symbolic planting of a white rose as a gesture in support of peace.

Fátima carries a profound message of peace. In 1917, three young shepherd children from farming families — Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto — reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and carried forward an appeal for prayer and peace.

More than a century later, that call for peace has renewed relevance in a world confronting conflict, hunger and uncertainty.

“The white rose is a living symbol of our shared responsibility to cultivate peace,” said Kühn. “Its roots remind us that humanity is connected through the same soil. Its thorns represent the struggles we endure, and its bloom represents faith, hope and love. We must plant peace through agriculture — before hunger wins.”

During the ceremony, Father Francisco Pereira presented Kühn with rosary beads and reflected upon their symbolism: each bead representing a rose offered in prayer to the Blessed Mother Mary.

“Peace is a central dimension of the message of Fátima. Since 1917, this place has presented itself to the world as a call to conversion, to prayer, and to the building of peace. It is a peace that is not limited to the absence of war, but that demands a transformation of the human heart and the commitment of each person to others and to the world in which they live,” said Father Francisco Pereira.

He continued: “For this reason, at the Shrine of Fátima, peace is an intention that is always present in prayer. Every day we pray for peace in the world, for the victims of conflicts, and for all those who suffer the consequences of violence and war.”

“Ms. Heidi Kühn's initiative is therefore in harmony with the values of this place. May the white rosebush that is planted here be understood as a testimony to this responsibility that we are all called to assume and to translate into concrete actions,” he stressed.

Together, Heidi Kühn and Father Francisco raised their shovels in an act of peace — invoking the timeless vision of turning ‘swords into plowshares’ and advancing Kühn’s decades-long mission of turning ‘Mines to Vines’ in war-torn lands around the world.

The Fátima planting represents another milestone in Kühn’s 2026 global journey of the white rose.

During the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, Kühn began the year planting white roses at significant sites in Mumbai, India. Her journey continued to Beijing and Shanghai, China, carrying a humanitarian message that people of every nation share common roots and a responsibility as stewards of the Earth.

The movement also took root in Washington, D.C., where white roses were planted at the Embassies of Azerbaijan, Chile and Portugal, bringing diplomats together around a simple and universal idea: peace can be planted. "I strongly believe that these actions contribute to the building of a Global Family, as even the smallest gesture can create ripples of change, and consistency is what gives meaning, strenth and comport to the efforts. Above all, the planting of peace translates into concrete actions," stated Maria de Jesus Espada, Senior Advisor for Agriculture, Embassy of Portugal and co-chair of the White Rose campaign.

Through PAX AGRICULTURA — Latin for ‘Peace Through Agriculture’ — Kühn is now advancing ‘Global Gardens for Food Security’, encouraging people and communities around the world to cultivate gardens, orchards and productive landscapes that nourish families, restore the Earth and create tangible symbols of peace.

The white rose serves as the movement’s global symbol — a living reminder that peace, like a garden, must be planted, nourished and protected.

As the traditional holiday season approaches, with its timeless message of Peace on Earth, Kühn offered an interfaith prayer that the white rose planted at Fátima will inspire people of every faith, nation and culture.

“May this single white rose planted on sacred ground become a garden of peace around the world,” Kühn said. “Whatever our faith, nationality or language, we share the same Earth and the same responsibility to ensure that future generations have both the food and the peace they need to flourish.”

Adriana Aristizabal
iVoice Communications