Pope Francis tweeted
Tuesday, the first anniversary of a historic document he signed
with the grand imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, that "the
Document on Human Fraternity, signed a year ago, wrote a new
page in the dialogue between religions and persons of good will.
"As sisters and brothers we want to say no to violence and
promote together peace, life and religious freedom".
The pope also said humanity should hope for a future "free
from hatred".
"Today we celebrate the first anniversary of this great
humanitarian event, hoping for a better future for humanity, a
future free from hate, rancour, extremism and terrorism, in
which the values of peace, love and fraternity may prevail".
Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar signed the
Document on Human Fraternity on 4 February 2019.
It highlights the need for a sense of fraternity amongst all
men and women of goodwill who are invited to promote justice and
peace, guaranteeing human rights and religious freedom.
The "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living
Together", signed in Abu Dhabi a year ago by Pope Francis and
the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, was widely hailed
as a milestone, not only regarding relations between
Christianity and Islam, but as a blue-print indicating the way
to a culture of dialogue and collaboration between faiths.
It is an appeal to put an end to wars and condemns the
scourges of terrorism and violence, especially those perpetrated
by religious motivations.
"Faith," the preface reads, "leads a believer to see in the
other a brother or sister to be supported and loved".
"It is a text that has been given honest and serious thought
so as to be a joint declaration of good and heartfelt
aspirations.
"It is a document that invites all persons who have faith in
God and faith in human fraternity to unite and work together so
that it may serve as a guide for future generations to advance a
culture of mutual respect in the awareness of the great divine
grace that makes all human beings brothers and sisters.
"(Document on Human Fraternity)".
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