Document on Human Fraternity

File:Pope Francis Papal Mass in UAE.jpg

In February 2019, the Muslim Council of Elders hosted the Human Fraternity Meeting in the UAE with hopes of enhancing co-existence of humans globally.{{Cite web |title=The UAE’s support to human fraternity {{!}} The Official Portal of the UAE Government |url=https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/culture/tolerance/uae-support-for-human-fraternity |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=u.ae |language=en}} Pope Francis traveled to the United Arab Emirates from 3–5 February 2019 and met with Islamic leaders. On 4 February 2019, at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together was co-signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyeb.{{Cite web |title=The Document on Human Fraternity {{!}} USCCB |url=https://www.usccb.org/committees/ecumenical-interreligious-affairs/document-human-fraternity |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=www.usccb.org |language=en}}

The Document is concerned with how different faiths can live peaceably in the same world and areas. In the declaration:{{sfn|Document on Human Fraternity|2019}}

• Francis and Tayeb "declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard."
• They called on world leaders "to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline that the world is presently experiencing."
• They asked leaders and would-be influencers "to rediscover the values of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence in order to confirm the importance of these values as anchors of salvation for all, and to promote them everywhere."
• They said that "Terrorism is deplorable and threatens the security of people, be they in the East or the West, the North or the South, and disseminates panic, terror and pessimism, but this is not due to religion, even when terrorists instrumentalize it. It is due, rather, to an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride."

The Document suggests one chain of causality for religious and national extremism: "a moral deterioration" in international action and "a weakening of spiritual values" causing "frustration, isolation and desperation", leading some to fall "into a vortex of […] extremism", leading some to "individual or collective self-destruction".{{sfn|Document on Human Fraternity|2019}}

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously decided that on 4 February, starting in 2021, it be observed as International Day of Human Fraternity. It was the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity which inspired this date to be observed as such.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-22 |title=Pope Francis’ friendship with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar inspired the new International Day of Human Fraternity |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/12/22/international-day-human-fraternity-pope-francis-239578 |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=America Magazine |language=en}}

Some commentary on the Document focuses on alleged "novel theological formulations ... and questionable assertions of facts",{{efn|name=acts|"[T]here are some pronouncements about God's will in it that are nowhere to be found […] in the gospels."{{sfn|Kilpatrick|2019b}} Cf. Acts {{bibleverse-nb|Acts|4:12|KJV}}, referred to by Roberto de Mattei:{{cite interview |last=de Mattei |first=Roberto |author-link=Roberto de Mattei |interviewer=Aldo Maria Valli |interviewer-link=:it:Aldo Maria Valli |title=De Mattei on the Francis Pontificate: Six Years of 'Hypocrisy and Lies' |url=https://onepeterfive.com/mattei-francis-hypocrisy-lies/ |publisher=OnePeterFive |date=4 April 2019 |access-date=12 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410115358/https://onepeterfive.com/mattei-francis-hypocrisy-lies/ |archive-date=10 April 2019 |url-status=live }} "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."}} particularly in a passage concerning God's will with regard to the diversity of religions:{{sfn|Document on Human Fraternity|2019}}

{{Blockquote|Freedom is a right of every person: each individual enjoys the freedom of belief, thought, expression and action. The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to be different derives. Therefore, the fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others do not accept.}}

Chad Pecknold, a systematic theologian at the Catholic University of America,{{sfn|Rasmussen|2019}}{{sfn|CUA|2019}} assesses this claim as "fitting [...] [i]n sensitive inter-religious contexts, [...] but some may find it puzzling to hear the Vicar of Christ talk about God willing the diversity of religions". However, Pecknold clarifies that "in the context of the document, the Holy Father is clearly referring not to the evil of many false religions, but positively refers to the diversity of religions only in the sense that they are evidence of our natural desire to know God."{{Cite web |date=10 February 2019 |title=Pope signs declaration saying God 'wills' religious pluralism. What does this mean? |url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/02/05/pope-signs-declaration-saying-god-wills-religions-pluralism-what-does-this-mean/?platform=hootsuite |access-date= |website=Catholic Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210185548/https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/02/05/pope-signs-declaration-saying-god-wills-religions-pluralism-what-does-this-mean/?platform=hootsuite |archive-date=10 February 2019 }} Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Astana, claims that Pope Francis also clarified to him that he was referring to "the permissive will of God".{{cite web |last=Gabriel |first=Pedro |date=12 March 2019 |title=Pluralism and the will of God... is there another way to look at it? |url=https://wherepeteris.com/pluralism-and-the-will-of-god-is-there-another-way-to-look-at-it/ |access-date=21 March 2022 |publisher=Where Peter Is}}

Nevertheless, on 10 June 2019, Cardinals Raymond Leo Burke and Jānis Pujats, Archbishops Tomasz Peta and Jan Paweł Lenga and Bishop Schneider published a 40-point "Declaration of Truths", stating that "the religion born of faith in Jesus Christ" is the "only religion positively willed by God".{{Cite web |last=Pentin |first=Edward |date=2019-06-10 |title=New 'Declaration of Truths' Affirms Key Church Teachings |url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/new-declaration-of-truths-affirms-key-church-teachings |access-date= |website=National Catholic Register |language=en}}

• Abrahamic Family House
• Nostra aetate
• Catholic social teaching
• Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus
• Fratelli tutti
• Christianity and Islam
• Catholic Church and Islam
• Human rights in the Quran
• International Day of Human Fraternity
• Parliament of the World's Religions

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{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html |title=Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates (3–5 February 2019): Document on 'Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together' signed by His Holiness Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahamad al-Tayyib (Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019) |date=4 February 2019 |publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana |location=La Santa Sede |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205023222/http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html |archive-date=5 February 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=13 February 2019 |ref={{harvid|Document on Human Fraternity|2019}}}}
• {{cite news |last=Rasmussen |first=Adam |title=Pope Francis and Grand Imam sign joint statement on Human Fraternity |publisher=Where Peter Is – there is the Church|date=6 February 2019 |access-date=14 February 2019 |url=https://wherepeteris.com/pope-francis-and-grand-imam-sign-joint-statement-on-human-fraternity/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214133719/https://wherepeteris.com/pope-francis-and-grand-imam-sign-joint-statement-on-human-fraternity/ |archive-date=14 February 2019 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Chad C. Pecknold, Ph.D. |publisher=School of Theology and Religious Studies {{!}} CUA |access-date=14 February 2019 |url=https://trs.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/pecknold-chad/index.html |year=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201154257/https://trs.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/pecknold-chad/index.html |archive-date=1 December 2018 |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|CUA|2019}}}}
• {{cite news |last=Kilpatrick |first=William |title=More Sugarcoating of Islam from Pope Francis |url=https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/more-sugarcoating-of-islam-from-pope-francis |publisher=Crisis Magazine |date=15 February 2019b |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215160648/https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/more-sugarcoating-of-islam-from-pope-francis |archive-date=15 February 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=15 February 2019 }}
• {{cite news |last=Rezac |first=Mary |title=Pope Francis signs peace declaration on 'Human Fraternity' with Grand Imam {{!}} One paragraph has caused controversy, but a theologian says it must be read in the proper context |publisher=The Catholic Herald |date=5 February 2019 |access-date=10 February 2019 |url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/02/05/pope-signs-declaration-saying-god-wills-religions-pluralism-what-does-this-mean/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210185548/https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/02/05/pope-signs-declaration-saying-god-wills-religions-pluralism-what-does-this-mean/?platform=hootsuite |archive-date=10 February 2019 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |title=Adam Rasmussen |publisher=Georgetown University |access-date=14 February 2019 |url=https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014SsOXAA0/adam-rasmussen |date=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214144251/https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014SsOXAA0/adam-rasmussen |archive-date=14 February 2019 |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|GU|2019}}}}
• {{Cite book |last=Abdulsalam |first=Mohammed |title=The Pope and the Grand Imam: A Thorny Path. A Testimony to the Birth of the Human Fraternity Document |publisher=Motivate Publishing |year=2021 |isbn=9781860635236 |language= }}

• {{Cite web|title=Document on "Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together" signed by His Holiness Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahamad al-Tayyib (Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019) {{!}} Francis|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html|access-date=2022-02-05|website=www.vatican.va}}
• {{Cite journal|date=March 2019|title=Documentum " De Humana Fraternitate pro Pace Mundiali et communi convictu " subsignatum a Summo Pontifice Francisco et Magno Imam al-Azhar Ahamad al-Tayyib (Abu Dabi).|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/2019/acta-marzo2019.pdf|journal=Acta Apostolicae Sedis|volume=CXI|issue=3|pages=349–356}}

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