Pope Francis: Commit to fraternity every day of the year

Pope Francis with Grand Imam of Al-Azhar ... image: Vatican News

Source: Vatican News

During his General Audience on Wednesday, streamed from the Apostolic Library, Pope Francis told the faithful that Thursday, 4 February, will be the first International Day of Human Fraternity.

The world day was officially stablished by a Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in December 2020.

The initiative follows on from the historic signing of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together on 4 February 2019, by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (Cairo), Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, in Abu Dhabi on 4 February 2019 (pictured).

The Pope and the Grand Imam spent almost half a year drafting the Document before his Apostolic Visit to the United Arab Emirates.

During the Audience, the Pope said he was pleased that "the nations of the entire world are joining in this celebration, aimed at promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue."

"The UN Resolution recognizes the contribution that dialogue among all religious groups can make towards an improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all humankind… May this be our prayer today and our commitment every day of the year," he said.

The winners of the 2021 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity were also announced on Wednesday. They are Latifah Ibn Ziaten, Founder of Imad Association for Youth and Peace who, after losing her son to an act of terrorism, transformed her sorrow into reaching out to young people, and António Guterres, ninth Secretary General of the United Nations.

Announcing the winners of the Award, the Secretary-General of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity, Judge Mohamed Abdel Salam, said, "This independent, global award was conceived to encourage and recognize those who inspire us all to play our part in creating a more understanding, inclusive and peaceful world. By examining the work and impact of both 2021 honorees, it is clear that they are both role models for the next generation, world leaders, and all those engaged in similarly noble pursuits for peace."

Both Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar will jointly present the award during the virtual ceremony on Thursday. The meeting and the award ceremony will be streamed in several languages starting at 14.30 (Rome time) - 13.30 (GMT time) - by Vatican News, the multimedia information portal of the Holy See, and broadcast by Vatican Media.