XXII ANNUAL EPP GROUP INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE WITH CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS / 3 XXII ANNUAL EPP GROUP INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE WITH CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS “HUMAN FRATERNITY FOR WORLD PEACE AND LIVING TOGETHER” DECLARATION SIGNED BY POPE FRANCIS AND THE GRAND IMAM OF AL-AZHAR ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, FEBRUARY 2019 Lebanese Maronite Monastery Saint Charbel, 12 December 2019, Belgium 4 / XXII ANNUAL EPP GROUP INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE WITH CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS XXII ANNUAL EPP GROUP INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE WITH CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS / 5 The EPP Group held its annual intercultural dialogue with churches and religious insti- At the meeting in the monastery, MEPs had the unique opportunity to exchange views tutions on 12 December, 2019 in the Lebanese Maronite monastery in Saint Charbel, with experts and high-ranking religious representatives on the document and reflect to- Belgium. The international conference was dedicated to an historical milestone decla- gether on how interreligious relations between Christians, Muslims and Jews have changed ration co-signed by Pope Francis and Ahmad Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in the twenty-first century and how they could evolve in the European Union. University in Egypt. The document is entitled Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. The declaration recognises the dignity of all human beings and affirms Guest keynote speakers included Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, President of the that good relations between different cultures are necessary to protect the religious and civil Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Omar Ghobash, Assistant Minister rights of citizens. for Cultural Affairs at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Inter- national Cooperations. Kris Peeters MEP, Head of the EPP Group Belgian Delegation welcomed high-level guests from the United Arab Emirates and the Holy See as well as all participants. He underlined that “Europe with her divers group of religions has the opportunity to dialogue and to build bridges. We cannot allow others to create walls. Every human has the right to a bridge to a better life, in Europe or any other place in the world. Together, we will build those bridges”. György Hölvényi MEP, Co-Chair of the EPP Group’s Working Group on Intercultural Activities and Interreligious Dialogue, highlighted: “Religions must undertake joint ef- forts to represent universal values. As the common declaration underlines, we have several points in common, despite differences between the two religious traditions. One major shared value is definitely the family as a community of man and woman and the child as a member of this community.” Jan Olbrycht MEP, also Co-Chair of the Intercultural Activities and Interreligious Di- Jan Olbrycht MEP, Co-Chair of the Intercultural Activities and Interreligious Dialogue Working Group; Kris Peeters MEP, Head of the EPP Group BE Delegation alogue Working Group, pointed out the significance of the document as it is written by György Hölvényi MEP, Co-Chair of the EPP Group’s Working Group on Intercultural Activities and Interreligious Dialogue the authors as “a declaration of good and heartfelt aspirations“. The text is an invitation for different actors of public life to work for peace and understanding. Consequently, our annual Intercultural Dialogue with Churches and Religious Institutions was a response to this invitation. 6 / XXII ANNUAL EPP GROUP INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE WITH CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS XXII ANNUAL EPP GROUP INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE WITH CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS / 7 DOCUMENT logue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as world war being fought piecemeal”. In several parts of the world and in many tragic cir- the method and standard. cumstances these signs have begun to be painfully apparent, as in those situations where In the name of God who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, the precise number of victims, widows and orphans is unknown. We see, in addition, other and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth and make We, who believe in God and in the final meeting with Him and His judgment, on the regions preparing to become theatres of new conflicts, with outbreaks of tension and a build- THE HOLY SEE known the values of goodness, love and peace; basis of our religious and moral responsibility, and through this Document, call upon up of arms and ammunition, and all this in a global context overshadowed by uncertainty, ourselves, upon the leaders of the world as well as the architects of international policy and disillusionment, fear of the future, and controlled by narrow-minded economic interests. In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoe- world economy, to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS ver kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and We likewise affirm that major political crises, situations of injustice and lack of equitable TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES person is like one who saves the whole of humanity; (3-5 FEBRUARY 2019) bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline distribution of natural resources – which only a rich minority benefit from, to the detri- In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need whom that the world is presently experiencing. ment of the majority of the peoples of the earth – have generated, and continue to generate, A DOCUMENT ONHUMAN FRATERNITYFOR WORLD PEACE AND LIVING TOGETHER God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy vast numbers of poor, infirm and deceased persons. This leads to catastrophic crises that -va and of means; We call upon intellectuals, philosophers, religious figures, artists, media professionals and rious countries have fallen victim to despite their natural resources and the resourcefulness INTRODUCTION In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their men and women of culture in every part of the world, to rediscover the values of peace, of young people which characterize these nations. In the face of such crises that result in Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved. countries; justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence in order to confirm the im- the deaths of millions of children – wasted away from poverty and hunger – there is an Through faith in God, who has created the universe, creatures and all human beings portance of these values as anchors of salvation for all, and to promote them everywhere. unacceptable silence on the international level. (equal on account of his mercy), believers are called to express this human fraternity by in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of the weak, safeguarding creation and the entire universe and supporting all persons, especially the those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the world, wit- This Declaration, setting out from a profound consideration of our contemporary reality, It is clear in this context how the family as the fundamental nucleus of society and huma- poorest and those most in need. hout distinction; valuing its successes and in solidarity with its suffering, disasters and calamities, believes nity is essential in bringing children into the world, raising them, educating them, and In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace, and the possibility of living firmly that among the most important causes of the crises of the modern world are a desen- providing them with solid moral formation and domestic security. To attack the institu- This transcendental value served as the starting point for several meetings characterized together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war; sitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and a prevailing individua- tion of the family, to regard it with contempt or to doubt its important role, is one of the by a friendly and fraternal atmosphere where we shared the joys, sorrows and problems lism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce most threatening evils of our era. In the name of human fraternity that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders of our contemporary world. We did this by considering scientific and technical progress, worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles. them equal; therapeutic achievements, the digital era, the mass media and communications. We re- We affirm also the importance of awakening religious awareness and the need to revive this flected also on the level of poverty, conflict and suffering of so many brothers and sisters in In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems While recognizing the positive steps taken by our modern civilization in the fields of awareness in the hearts of new generations through sound education and an adherence to different parts of the world as a consequence of the arms race, social injustice, corruption, of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies