Pope Francis and Sheikh of Al-Azhar for the First Time in History
February 4th, International Day of Human Fraternity!
Source: America The Jesuit Review, Credit: CNS photo/Paul Haring
Report by Elia Nasrallah
Since 2020, February 4th is no longer just another day, now it represents an international call to end violence and hatred hostile speeches… it is now a day that reminds us of our fraternity no matter our nationality, ethnicity, society or religion… it is an invitation to work towards peace, justice and stability… hoping to live the rest of our days by the command of Jesus Christ “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 34:13.
The Middle East is the victim of divisions, conflicts and war nowadays ravaging every single one of his countries. The region is in desperate need of promoting dialogue and deepen fraternity relationships among people, from leaders to officials and citizens. The East misses the old days, and our unity through hard times and crises…
That’s where His Holiness Pope Francis communicated his third encyclical “Fratelli Tutti”, Italian for “we are all brothers”, that he signed on the 3rd of October 2020, on the eve of Saint Francis of Assisi, in the Italian city of Assisi. Noting that the letter is addressed to all the people of the earth without exception. Therefore, it has been translated into several languages in order to be distributed globally. In fact, this letter came as a glimmer of hope at a time when social risks, poverty, displacement, climate change and various crises are in control, not to mention the outbreak of the Corona pandemic requiring the adoption of global measures based on unity, solidarity and cooperation.
“Human Fraternity”: A letter of hope in gloomy days
Source: Catholic News Agency, Credit: Vatican Media
First, it should be noted that this letter is mainly about human fraternity and social friendship. Its essence lies in the rediscovery of the value of brotherhood and the recognition that we are all brothers and sisters responsible for one another, by preserving the common feeling of belonging that unites us.
"Fratelli Tutti" also aims to adopt a new mentality through these ties. His Holiness Pope Francis referred to it as a "social encyclical," whose title was derived from the "warnings" of Saint Francis of Assisi, his inspiration.
His Holiness Pope Francis chose Assisi where the tomb of Saint Francis is located to sign this encyclical because he loves “to communicate not only with words, but also with actions: through this initiative he meant to send a message. He invited everyone to ask themselves: “What does Pope Francis want to tell me through signing the encyclical on the grave… of the saint, the reformer, everyone's brother?”, according to one of the Pope’s assistants, Cardinal Michael Czerny, in charge of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery For Promoting Integral Human Development, during an interview with the website of the Jesuits on October 4, 2020.
To delve into this letter, we contacted the National Director of the Pontifical Apostolic Works and the Project Coordinator of “Kairos ME: Towards Churches Global Compact” in the Theological and Ecumenical Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, Father Raphael Zgheib, who shed light on it and on its content. He said: “Pope Francis, as the Good Samaritan, presented a vision of a new and open world based on human fraternity, especially after all the events and dangers that we live in.” Pope Francis talked about all the crises of the world today and the great effort being made for common good, love, justice and solidarity in a world that harnesses this justice and democracy to impose slavery, despair and a one-color society... shutting the world off through the deterioration of ethics and spiritual values, inequality in human rights and the absence of dialogue and coexistence.
Father Raphael explained the many contradictions mentioned in this letter. Between an open spirit and globalization that destroyed privacy and these particular matters that causes the rejection of others. Pope Francis calls for dialogue and an open spirit to a complete brotherhood rooted in our privacy and based on social friendship. The Pope also calls, through the culture of being private but opening to others in societies, to restore kindness so that a person can recognize the presence of others in his life.
Father Zgheib continued adding that Pope Francis talked about the engineering of peace praising a forgiving culture based on true forgiveness away from war or any king of violence, explaining the role of religions in establishing peace.
Source: Catholic News Agency
According to Father Zgheib, Pope Francis emphasized on the Christian identity, for Christians stand out no matter how many religions there is. His Holiness described it as a biblical music calling for empathy, happiness, compassion, trust and the ability to reconcile. This music should always be present in every political or economic fields, and in society for the sake of every man and woman’s dignity.
The encyclical includes 8 detailed chapters about different humanitarian topics. The chapter one is called “Dark Clouds Over a Closed World”, chapter two “A Stranger on the Road”, chapter three “Envisaging and Engendering An Open World”, chapter four “A Heart Open to the Whole World”, chapter five “A Better Kind of Politics”, chapter six “Dialogue and Friendship in Society”, chapter seven “Paths of Renewed Encounter”, and finally chapter eight would be “Religions at the Service of Fraternity in Our World”. Then the Pope ended his encyclical with a common ecumenical prayer to the Lord.
The Pontifical Third Encyclical Fratelli Tutti – We Are All Brothers
More explanation of the encyclical
“Fratelli Tutti”, An Extension of the “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” Document – The International Day of Human Fraternity Sees the Light of Day
Source: Business Wire, Credit: AETOSWire
The “Fratelli Tutti” is strongly related to the Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together Document signed by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019 making it according to the introduction of the Document “…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…”
This Document was the fruit of the International Human Fraternity Conference held in the Emirates and organized by the Muslim Council of Elders. As for its purpose, it was to stimulate dialogue about coexistence and brotherhood among all the people in the world, confronting ideological extremism and its ramifications and deepening human ties between all religions while respecting differences...
Sheikh Al-Azhar praised the encyclical of Pope Francis "We Are All Brothers" and its objectives and content. He expressed his opinion through a post he shared on his official Facebook page. He said: "The encyclical of my brother Pope Francis - We Are All Brothers - is an extension of the Document of Human Fraternity, revealing the reality of a world living in disorder in its stances and decisions where the vulnerable and marginalized pay the toll... An encyclical that addresses those with good will and a living conscience, and restores humanity's consciousness."
“The United Nations General Assembly has approved the request made by several countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt ... that this day be declared as an annual International Day of Human Fraternity”
Source: Vogue Arabia
To commemorate this Fraternity Document and following the launch of several international, regional and local initiatives and religious leaders' efforts to bridge the distances between all religions and cultures, especially the encyclical of His Holiness Pope Francis, the 4th of February was declared the International Day of Human Fraternity to be celebrated yearly. This came after the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution presented by many countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, requesting that this day be declared as an annual global date. Perhaps this decision would urge the concerned authorities to prevent all kinds of violence and hate speeches…
More information about the International Day for Human Fraternity
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Lebanon Father Timon Al-Suriani: Egypt an Example of Human Fraternity
The head of the Coptic Church in Lebanon, Father Timon al-Suriani
It is true that wars and conflicts have dominated and burdened the Middle East, but a glimmer of hope for a better tomorrow is evident in several situations. In Egypt, citizens have experienced fraternal and human coexistence between Christians and Muslims for several decades now. This was the highlight of the dialogue of the head of the Coptic Church in Lebanon, Father Timon al-Suriani in an interview with the Communication and Public Relations Department in the Middle East Council of Churches.
Based on the Document of Human Fraternity that stresses on the belief in one God, Creator of all, and by inviting the faithful to express human fraternity by caring for the living, His creation, and the elements of the universe and by inviting them to help the needy and the weak ... Father Timon Al-Suriani indicated that he lived more than half a century in Egypt. He says: “It’s a unique example of the strong Coptic life through its authentic Coptic Pharaonic heritage, when Islam was introduced and we witnessed the brotherhood of an Islamic Coptic Egypt ever since the seventh century AD.”
Father Timon continued, stressing on these fixed features recorded in the history of Egypt, such as coexistence and peaceful human fraternity between Copts and Muslims. He added: "Love, acceptance of others, and coexistence were not words written in books and treaties, but vivid prints stamped by history on the forehead of the country with martyrs’ blood and melodies and prayers echoed in All the churches, as minarets witnessed its prayer to the one God whom we all worship.
According to Father Timon, neither religious terrorism nor political Islam groups succeeded to shake the den of lion of Saint Mark the Apostle, the founder of the Coptic Church. We got through all the fight of the enemy and his filthy soldiers with love, faith and brotherhood to present a true altar to God, He who loves equally, He who sacrifices without fail and He who lives in brotherhood... so Coptic Egypt would keep shining in history ever since Jesus Christ and his holy family lived there at the beginning of the New Testament to revive the prophecy of the Old Testament, "From Egypt, I called my son.”
Al-Syriani explained that most of the headings of shared values of fraternity work included in the document, such as freedom, justice, mercy, morals, good family education, and the non-use of religion to spread hatred, violence, extremism, and the protection of places of worship ... need true faith and pure practice in which the governments of countries that include mixed societies cooperate. “The responsibility of changing people's lives is no longer a religious goal, but rather the teaching of schools, universities, families, media, cultures and all elements of society…”
Source: State Information Service, Your Gateway to Egypt
As for Egypt, it was and will remain, according to Father Timon, a unique example of the ideologies in the document. The country worked on them and demonstrated the success of their application throughout its history, to overcome all the crises it faced through the decades... Egypt, with its Egyptian Coptic example, witnessed a victory over evil, hostility, killing and destruction many countries and groups wanted to export to our country, but God granted us a great Egyptian president who believes and fears God and loves Egypt and its people, a conscious father and a distinguished Patriarch of the Copts in Egypt and abroad, who seek to build a promising and healthy future for Egypt and the new generations.”
At the end of his speech, Father Timon gave an example of this brotherhood and coexistence, recalling the visit of the Head of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Vatican, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri to Cairo, Egypt in March 2019. Archbishop of the Coptic Catholic Diocese of Assiut Anba Kyrollos William declared at the end of the visit: “the existence of 3 men at the head of the religious institutions in the world: His Holiness Pope Francis in the Vatican, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II in the Seat of Mark of the Coptic Church, and Imam Ahmed Al-Tayyeb in Al-Azhar Mosque ... encourages true love dialogues, especially with President Sisi in Egypt who succeeded in developing a peaceful coexistence.”
To promote human fraternity, dialogue and work for peace in Iraq, His Holiness Pope Francis will pay the country an apostolic visit from the fifth to the eighth of March 2021. This decision came as a response to the invitation of the Republic of Iraq and the local Catholic Church. Perhaps this visit would give hope for a better future as Iraqis are waiting for the "letter of hope the Holy Father will carry," from what His Beatitude Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans Cardinal Mar Louis Raphael Sako indicated in an interview with Vatican News. It should be noted that this is the first pilgrimage visit made by Pope Francis since the end of 2019.
Communication and Public Relations Department
Resources:
Vatican News website: https://bit.ly/39J4WUZ
Zenit website: https://bit.ly/3jePUd2
Chaldean Patriarchate website: https://bit.ly/3oNGtC9
Abouna website: https://bit.ly/39I9UBu
Bouwabat Akhbar Al Yom website: https://bit.ly/3tm468q
United Nations website: https://bit.ly/3rhLHI5
Al Joumhouria website: https://bit.ly/3tpNGfh
The United Arab Emirates' Government portal website: https://bit.ly/3pLg9dt