Interreligious Response to ‘Laudato si' 

How Laudato si' Moves Interreligious Dialogue Forward 
Georgetown University, Washington D.C.,
29^th of October, 2020

Keynote Address: His Eminence Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ
President, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue

Dear Friends,

It gives me great joy to join you all in this virtual Conference on How Laudato si' Moves Interreligious Dialogue Forward, organized by the Georgetown University to mark the fifth anniversary of Laudato si’, the much celebrated Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis. 

My sincere appreciation to the University’s Management for this initiative which is among the many events and projects across the globe to celebrate the immense good that the document has done to the world over the last five years and to encourage multiplying of efforts for converting them into ‘a peoples’ movement’ for the protection and care of the earth, our Common Home. The COVID-19 pandemic which has paralysed the world for more than seven-eight months now, I am sure all of you would agree, has only hastened the urgency of attending to this dire need. The year from 24 May 2020 to 24 May 2021, as you would know, has been declared as “Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year” by the Vatican. I am happy that this event is taking place during this Special Anniversary Year and particularly so within a few days after the release of ‘Fratelli Tutti’, the latest encyclical letter of Pope Francis. The source of inspiration for both ‘Laudato Si’ and ‘Fratelli Tutti, as the Holy Father acknowledges, is one and the same person and that is St. Francis of Assisi, who “felt himself a brother to the sun, the sea and the wind, yet he knew that he was even closer to those of his own flesh” (Fratelli Tutti (FT), no. 2). It is only inevitable therefore that there is a connecting thread between the two encyclicals. Some commentators have pointed out, which I presume you are aware of, that ‘Laudato Si’ taught us that everything is connected whereas ‘Fratelli Tutti’ teaches us that everyone is connected as brothers and sisters and as such “we need to think of ourselves more and more as a single family dwelling in a common home” (FT, 17). There is thus an inseparable link between the two encyclicals; both are complimentary to each other. Our reflections on ‘Laudato Si’ here on cannot but be in close reference to ‘Fratelli Tutti’. May all our efforts-individual and collective, during this year and in the years to come, therefore, be geared to creating universal consciousness duly supported by concrete actions on the ground for the protection and well-being of our planet and of one another. 

All of us, irrespective of whichever religion we profess, have a moral and religious responsibility to shape an ethic of care for the earth, which is our shared home. A common commitment to creation by people of different religious traditions can offer us real hope for the future of life on earth. As believers with shared humanity and with shared values and convictions for the protection, preservation and development of our mother earth, we, Christians and people of other religious traditions, as well as people of good will, need to work together in a familial spirit to make the earth, truly our home.

Religious leaders, in particular, are called upon, as the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together”, signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al Tayyeb in Abu Dhabi on 4^th February 2019 says, to rediscover and spread “the values of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence”. There is a need today, more than ever, for a continued dialogue on environment, culture and religion in order to overcome the crises of the modern world which are the fallout of a “…major political crises, situations of injustice and lack of equitable distribution of natural resources – which only a rich minority benefit from, to the detriment of the majority of the peoples of the earth – have generated, and continue to generate, vast numbers of poor, infirm and deceased persons. This leads to catastrophic crises that various countries have fallen victim to despite their natural resources and the resourcefulness of young people which characterize these nations. In the face of such crises that result in the deaths of millions of children – wasted away from poverty and hunger – there is an unacceptable silence”.

• The role of Religions, Religious Leaders and Religious Communities in protecting Environment 

It is needless to say that religions and cultures play a paramount role in nurturing respect for Creation and in safeguarding the legitimate diversity and the value systems as resources for harmony with one another and harmony with nature. It is very important to ensure that in the march towards sustainable development, no one is left behind and that each and every one is part of this developmental process.

The leaders of religious communities likewise play a vital role in shaping attitudes, opinions and behaviours among their followers for the judicious management and equitable use of the natural resources and for the sustainable development of all. Religious practice with its cultural expression is both an enabler and a driver of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. 

When respectful relationships are built among peoples, sustainable management of the resources can reinforce and enhance national and global action on climate change, as well as contribute significantly to conservation, sustainable use and the equitable sharing of benefits arising from biodiversity.

Moreover, religious communities do and can make a significant contribution to addressing the issues of climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem loss, pollution, deforestation, desertification and unsustainable land and water use and other urgent issues.

Many of you will agree, I am sure, that the ecological crisis and the safeguard of the environment in respect to people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership are central to all faiths and that they are all inseparably interlinked to one another.

• Laudato si’ and interreligious relations

In Laudato Si', Pope Francis underlines the urgency and importance of dialogue with all religions for the care of our common home (cf. LS 7, 14, 63, 64, 111, 216, 222), arguing that the ecological crisis is basically a spiritual problem and thus interreligious dialogue is fundamental to solving it.

Environmental degradation thus becomes and should become an interreligious concern. Religions possess much wisdom to help us bring about the needed changes in our lifestyle in order to overcome the encroaching deterioration of conditions of our planet. There is the urgent need then for all of us, believers of different religious traditions, to promote an ecologically responsible social order based on shared values, joining hands with others. 

As the document on Human Fraternity notes: “…we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river and mother earth."(no. 92).

The interconnection and interdependence between human beings and nature invite everyone to go beyond any differences of class, creed, race or culture, so as to collaborate, as one human family, in protecting the integrity of our home, now and for future generations. Faced as we are with the looming environmental threat, Pope Francis emphasizes that religion can help us to take the first step towards collective change. LS explains it this way: “Given the complexity of the ecological crisis and its multiple causes, we need to realize that the solutions will not emerge from just one way of interpreting and transforming reality. Respect must also be shown for the various cultural riches of different peoples, their art and poetry, their interior life and spirituality. If we are truly concerned to develop an ecology capable of remedying the damage we have done, no branch of the sciences and no form of wisdom can be left out, and that includes religion and the language particular to it.” (LS, 63)

Many religious people today share the idea that the environmental crisis at base is human-caused and choose to leave it at that. It is time for them to re-think about how they consider the crisis. According to Pope Francis, the ecological crisis is ultimately linked to a crisis of values, a spiritual void that pervades the society of our times. There is the need therefore to offer alternative models based on values and spiritual paths to arrest the crisis. While this should be the case, there must also be an on-going dialogue among the different fields of knowledge, including science, “in the service of a more integral and integrating vision” (LS, 141) and for the common good (cfr. LS, 201). In this connection it is pertinent to remember what Pope Benedict XVI said regarding the misconception about the relation between religion and science. He said and I quote, “there is no “opposition between faith and science”, instead, “there is friendship between science and faith” and that scientists, “through their vocation to the study of nature…can take an authentic and fascinating path of holiness” (General Audience, 24 March, 2010). 

One of the most essential and effective models has been ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. I would like to focus on the latter. The good news is that concern for environmental degradation is now an ecumenical and interreligious reality. With the discovery and recovery of an ecological ethic along with a shared sense of responsibility towards the earth, various religions have entered into an "ecological phase”. The adherents of these religions have formulated their own religious perspectives of ecological concerns. For example, The Time to Act is Now: A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change (May 14, 2015); Buddhist Climate Change Statement to World Leaders (October 29, 2015); Islamic Declaration on Climate Change (August 18 2015); Hindu Declaration on Climate Change, (November 23 2015). 

The manner in which we treated “mother earth”, in the past has done much damage; therefore it is time to change our behavior. Pope Francis proposes an "integral ecology", which goes beyond environmental ecology and embraces all areas - environmental, economic, social, cultural and that of daily life (§§ 147-148).

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, for its part, has highlighted the importance and contribution of interreligious dialogue in combatting the ecological crisis through its messages of greetings it sends annually on the occasion of the most important feasts of other major religions; It has also organized many Conferences to reflect upon the pressing ecological crisis and on ways in which dialogue and cooperation can help in mitigating it.

          Here is some food for thought for all, arising from ‘Laudato in respect to interreligious dialogue:

• There is an urgent need for followers of all religions to go beyond their borders to unite in building an ecologically responsible social order based on shared values. The Covid-19 pandemic beckons us to do the same; 
• The ever worsening of global environmental situation demands an accelerated and augmented interreligious cooperation, in solidarity with all concerned, so as to reduce at least, if not to completely eradicate the environmental problems;
• In order to take care of the health and sustainability of the planet, there is the need to create shared educational programs to raise ecological awareness and to promote common initiatives through full involvement of all as we live and work side by side;
• There needs to be a conscious effort to recover awareness of the link between humanity and nature, including referring to the teachings of the sacred texts of one’s own religion, and trying to live by them in daily life;
• Also, movement towards a prophetic, contemplative and sober lifestyle by all should be part of the larger solution offered;
• A common commitment by the faithful of all religions for the good of the planet, together with a change of attitudes and lifestyles at personal and community levels is the need of the hour.    

No doubt, Laudato si’ has made a great impact on society from an interreligious perspective: It has:

·Created greater awareness among people of different religious traditions about climate change, expanded, deepened and accelerated the on-going dialogue on climate-change and climate justice. It has brought about positive changes in the lives of people, at an individual level, regarding respect for and protection of nature. 

·Caused increased understanding of how everything in the world- human beings and the nature- is interconnected (nos. 117, 138). Any crisis-social or ecological, therefore, cannot be understood and treated in isolation; to be able to overcome the crisis, one needs to listen to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”.

·Through its call for integral development and integral ecology, it brought ‘inclusivism’ into greater focus. 

·It generated hundreds, if not thousands, of interreligious initiatives and projects all over the world to enhance awareness among the people about the urgent need of doing something together and in concrete to save the Mother Earth.

·It also made people to fall back to the teachings of their own respective religious traditions to understand better how the relationships between God, human beings and nature are inter-wined. 

·The interreligious conversations on the encyclical and the activities prompted by the document also gave the opportunity of knowing the perspectives of other religions on the subject.  

·Inspired by the messages of the encyclical, as has been mentioned above, organizations belonging to other religious traditions brought out their own versions of declarations on ‘care for nature’. 

Four out of six chapters in Laudato Si’, are dedicated to integral ecology. It is a new paradigm of justice starting with the understanding of ecology “which respects our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings” (n.15).

In his reflection on integral ecology, Pope Francis points out, not only the interconnectedness of all things, but also “the conditions required for the life and survival of society, and the honesty needed to question certain models of development, production and consumption” (n. 138). He calls for an integrated approach to the complex crisis saying: “We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental” (139).

To understand this, human beings have to recognize first the close relationship between human life and moral law.  “Human ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good” (156), but is to be understood in a concrete way. In today’s context, in which, “injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable”, committing oneself to the common good means to make choices in solidarity based on “a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters” (158).

 As part of God’s creation, human beings are interrelated with and inter-dependent on one another and with all other creatures and have the unique responsibility of safeguarding and enhancing the created world which is God’s gift to all creatures.

Responsible stewardship of creation or caring for earth entails, first of all, appreciation of the goodness, beauty and functionality of God’s creation; secondly, intelligent management of natural resources God has given, taking all diligent care to preserve and protect them and also to find ways to make the earth flourish; thirdly, consciousness that the whole world is a family and that humans and all other living beings and the rest of the material world is an inter-connected and inter-dependent web of life, fourthly, nurturing of relationship and harmony between humans and nature and among humans themselves.

Interreligious and intercultural dialogue can certainly play a monumental role in bringing about the spirit of solidarity among all and towards a fruitful collaboration between different religious traditions for building a global partnership towards addressing the crucial challenges of our era.

Greater attention surely needs to be paid towards issues of education, peace-building, preserving and promoting of traditional knowledge, rights of indigenous peoples, sustainability and economics, etc. 

For this, I suggest four main areas of involvement in and intervention by followers of different religious traditions: 

1. Promoting mutual knowledge and understanding of cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity;
2. Building a pluralist framework for commonly shared values;
3. Disseminating principles and tools of intercultural dialogue through quality education and the media;
4. Fostering dialogue for sustainable development in all its ethical, cultural, environmental and social dimensions.

Stronger partnerships are to be forged to bind the religious, cultural and secular communities for a collective and concerted effort towards finding lasting solutions to environmental issues and to fostering of sustainable development. 

Urgent and decisive action by the international community is required to arrest the increasing environmental degradation, and related challenges of social and economic unsustainability. 

• Laudato Si’, Covid-19 Pandemic and Pope Francis

Laudato Si’ was in a way, a prophetic document that predicted of a looming crisis (social, climatic etc.) on the horizon of the earth if corrective measures to arrest the malaise affecting the health of nature are not taken urgently. None perhaps expected that the prophecy will come to pass any time soon and the result is that we were caught off guard when the catastrophe struck. 

·We have been witness, directly or indirectly, to the devastating impact of the pandemic on humanity. While thousands and thousands of lives have been lost and livelihoods of millions destroyed, the pandemic brought to fore the scandalous inequality, discrimination and indifference on the basis of creed and race existing in the society. 

·The worst affected due to the pandemic and the subsequent lock-downs to contain the spread of the virus naturally have been the poor, the migrants and the most vulnerable of the society. 

·The overwhelming sense of helplessness and vulnerability in front of the crisis caused by the ‘invisible enemy’, however has made us realize that no matter whosoever and whatsoever we are, all of us are equal before the Corona virus (it doesn’t see religion, race, class etc.).  

·The pandemic has also made us recognize how inter-connected with and inter-dependent we are on one another and with creation: “…human beings are deeply connected with all of creation. When we mistreat nature, we also mistreat human beings. At the same time each creature has its own intrinsic value that must be respected. Let us hear ‘both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ and do our best to ensure an appropriate and timely response’”. (Pope Francis, First Message for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, 1 Sept. 2016).

·The health-crisis and the consequent lock-downs have surely altered our way of thinking and our way of living as never before.  The disastrous effects of the pandemic and our own confinements in homes during the lock-down periods have perhaps led us to self-introspection guided by our respective faiths and have helped us become perhaps less individualistic, less consumerist and less self-centered!

·Most importantly, the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought about human solidarity as never seen before in the recent known human history to serve the afflicted and the affected and to labor hard to seek for a solution to the problem. The generous and self-less outreach and service by individuals and groups and the unprecedented interreligious solidarity seen in favor of those afflicted and affected by Covid-19, were in many ways, signs of hope and positivity amidst the doom and gloom prevalent due to suffering and death caused by the virus. 

·In this situation, we, believers and particularly so religious leaders, through our exemplary faith-translated-into action lives, are required to inject in and spread the “Contagion of hope” (Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi Message, 12 April, 2020) among the masses.  This hope must spring from our belief that the loving God who creates, sustains and ultimately redeems all of creation “will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more” (Rev. 21:4). Moreover, we need to become “sowers of hope” (Pope Francis, Address to the Editorial Board of the Weekly ‘Tertio’ (Belgium), 18 Sept. 2020) among the people for a better tomorrow.

·Pope Francis’ profound gestures and pronouncements of spiritual closeness to all those who are suffering due to Covid-19 as well as to all the frontline warriors of the pandemic, his stirring message of hope and his appeal to the whole world to reach out to the needy and the suffering and to help and serve them in this time of global crisis, is a great motivator for all, most specially for the suffering humanity. The extraordinary Moment of Prayer on 27 March, 2020 and his endorsement of the Global Day of Fasting, Prayers and Good deeds for the good of all humanity on 14 May 2020, an initiative of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity are among the most notable moments when the Holy Father united himself with all the suffering and appealed to everyone to pray for and do charity for the suffering.   

• Post-Covid-19 period from an interreligious collaboration point of view

‘Laudato Si’ decried our broken relationships with God, with neighbors and with the earth (cfr. LS, 66). It called for repairing and restoring of those relationships and underlined the need for harmony with one another and with nature. The present crisis is an opportunity and a grace to restore those relationships and to forge a new way of living as a true world community based on fraternal love, equality, justice, harmony and peace.

 The re-realization of our shared humanity, shared destiny and shared responsibility for one another and for the world (cfr. LS. 229) must spur us on to further build on the robust interreligious solidarity existent at the moment for the welfare of human family not just during the pandemic period but beyond. It must impel us to conscientiously work towards eliminating inequalities, healing the injustice that is undermining the health of the entire human family (cfr. Pope Francis, Twitter Message, 23 April, 2020). The ‘wisdom’ found in our respective religions can help us move forward to reclaim a sense of responsibility for the common good and for our common home. 

Covid-19 pandemic, therefore, is a wake-up call for all of us for:

·Re-assessing of our relationships with one another and with nature

·Re-examining of our lifestyles, behaviors individually and collectively

·Re-introspecting of how we have contributed to the neglect and destruction of the environment and how we have denied or have been indifferent to the rights and just needs of others, particularly the poor and the most vulnerable of the society

·Re-viewing of how much our contribution has been towards the protection and restoration of nature and of the fundamental rights of our fellow beings. 

Only by radically re-shaping our relationship with God, with our neighbors and with the natural world can we hope to effectively tackle the threats we face today. In this respect, the call of ‘Laudato Si’ for social and ecological conversion for “the protection of nature” and “the defense of the poor” becomes more pertinent and urgent than ever. This conversion must result in: 

·An increased sense of respect for life, human dignity and nature;

·An enhanced reaching out to the poor, the needy and the afflicted. As individuals, families and communities, we need to become more conscious of the needs of others, of other communities and of future generations; 

·Multiplying of collective and consolidated efforts towards eliminating inequality and injustice in the society;

·Bringing about of more credible changes in our way of thinking, the way of looking at others, our behavior and lifestyles;

·And adopting and promoting of more environment friendly practices in our homes, in the neighborhoods and communities.

As the Holy Father said, the Covid-19 pandemic has made us ‘more aware of the importance of care for our common home’. May this increased awareness lead us in this Special Year of the Anniversary, to generously cooperate with one another “… as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvement and talents (LS, 14)! 

Conclusion

It is hoped that enhanced interreligious relations and collaboration will provide new opportunities and strength for the betterment of humanity today as well as for all future generations.

The covid-19 pandemic has taught us how fragile and weak we all are; it has also taught us how much we need each other and how much we are dependent on one another. This is a more than enough reason for us to be united and committed not just to ward off forever the coronavirus from the horizons of the earth but also to work together for the betterment of humanity. 

We, believers of different religious traditions are called upon in a special way to promote unity, solidarity and brotherhood among the people so that all are able to unitedly and courageously face the current challenges as well as those of the immediate future. It is my hope that we will emerge from the present crisis better and stronger and help our societies to become more humane where people care for one another and care for creation.

Thanks for your kind attention.

G20 INTERFAITH FORUM
Riyadh, October 13, 2020
Opening Remarks
His Eminence Cardinal Miguel Ángel AYUSO GUIXOT, MCCJ
 

Distinguished Authorities
and Webinar Participants,

Thank you for your invitation to speak at the Opening Plenary Session at the G20 Interfaith Forum. I greet you all.
        The world is passing through a very dark moment that demands adequate responses and solutions to the problems of our existential life. There is a real necessity for the human family to come together with a unified spirit and in a real friendship to propose answers to our common problems. We as religious leaders in particular need to be a “contagion of hope”. Let us then witness to our religious communities as well as to our societies in which we live: unity, solidarity and fraternity, for bettering our Common Home, as Pope Francis is continuously reminding us all. This is our public responsibility be it political, socio-economical or religious.
        What Pope Francis in the new Encyclical “Fratelli tutti”, has proposed to us all is essential if we really want to find an adequate “therapy” towards ending this world crisis and to preventing another one in the future. With this in mind, I place before this important G20 Interfaith Forum for our consideration, Pope Francis’ call to reaffirm that we are members of the one human family. Today we have an opportunity to draw from the richness of what the Pope is offering not only to Catholics, but to the entire humanity.
         I invite you to join Pope Francis in this adventure of promoting fraternity and social friendship. In this way, we can work together to overcome the challenges humanity is facing, hoping that we, as religious leaders, can promote, support and encourage communities and people around the world in the responsibility to seek only the common good and the dignity of every human person. Pope Francis says that: “The effort to seek God with a sincere heart, provided it is never sullied by ideological or self-serving aims, helps us recognize one another as travelling companions, truly brothers and sisters” (FT 274).

          In seeing respect and friendship as two fundamental attitudes needed for dialogue, Pope Francis has created a forum, where persons of different religious traditions, believers and non-believers, as well as persons of good will, may see all our efforts in the light of promoting the common good, offering not only concrete solutions as the G20 Interfaith Forum states, but a needed hope in the future.
           Let’s not forget that believers of different religious traditions can offer their own valuable contributions to universal fraternity in the societies in which they live. “Fratelli Tutti” states: “It is wrong when the only voices to be heard in public debate are those of the powerful and ‘experts.’ Room needs to be made for reflections born of religious traditions that are the repository of centuries of experience and wisdom” (FT 275).      
         It is a temptation to limit fraternity only to those who share the same ideas or cultural context. According to the Encyclical, we are called to participate in that healthy subsidiarity which starts from the individual and expands to encompass the family, then social and state dimensions, all the way to the international community. As Pope Francis reminds us, this is why “it is necessary to develop not only a spirituality of fraternity but at the same time a more efficient world organization, to help resolve pressing problems if fraternity is to be an effective instrument in international relations” (FT, 165).
         In a world in which relations among persons are characterized by indifference and greed for the growth of only select groups, there is a need for a new and universal solidarity and a new dialogue based on fraternity. As Pope Francis notes in “Fratelli Tutti”, "the multitude of the abandoned remain at the mercy of the possible good will of some" (FT, 165). Interreligious dialogue has an essential function in building a civil society that includes everyone and rejects the ‘throwaway culture’ which leaves persons isolated and without resources.
           I am hopeful that through this G20 Interfaith Forum a better world, supported by the awareness engendered by “Fratelli Tutti”, will emerge out of our common efforts and concerned hopes. May we remain connected in this joint responsibility! Let us all be true messengers of unity, solidarity and fraternity!
 Thank you for listening.

Intervention by H. Em. Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J.
Press Conference for the Encyclical "Fratelli Tutti"
October 4, 2020

I am grateful for the opportunity to present the Encyclical Fratelli tutti, dedicated to fraternity and social friendship; it is a precious gift that the Holy Father has given not only to us Catholics but to the whole of humanity.

I greet all the distinguished speakers who have joined with me in presenting this Encyclical, and most especially Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, Councilor of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. He is a dear friend with whom I collaborate on the High Committee for Human Fraternity, formed in August 2019 to give continuity and effectiveness to the objectives spelled out in the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. His presence here is truly an excellent example of fraternity!

I want to thank Pope Francis publicly, in the name of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue over which I preside, for the impetus he has given to interreligious dialogue since the very beginning of his pontificate.

I cannot read the Encyclical without emotion, especially chapter eight, “Religions at the Service of Fraternity in Our World.” I have collaborated with Pope Francis since the beginning of his pontificate, that is, for almost eight years now. I can attest to how much work has been done, even amid undeniable difficulties, including the most recent one, the pandemic caused by COVID-19.

Interreligious dialogue is truly at the heart of the reflections and actions of Pope Francis. In fact, as Fratelli tutti states, “The effort to seek God with a sincere heart, provided it is never sullied by ideological or self-serving aims, helps us recognize one another as travelling companions, truly brothers and sisters” (FT 274).

The very title of the Encyclical expresses a clear desire to address everyone as brothers and sisters. It is an existential reality that Pope Francis calmly takes for granted: we are all brothers and sisters—no one is excluded! Certainly, the path of dialogue among persons of different religious traditions has not just begun. It is part of the Church’s original mission, and it has deep roots in the Second Vatican Council.

In seeing respect and friendship as two fundamental attitudes, Pope Francis has opened another door, so that the oxygen of fraternity can enter into the dialogue between persons of different religious traditions, between believers and non-believers, and among all persons of good will.

The Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed by the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi, represented a milestone in interreligious dialogue, but that was neither the start nor the finish. We are on the road! Fratelli tutti, with its far-sighted and merciful perspective, encourages us to tread the common ground of human fraternity. This common ground is a truth that is ancient, but it may sound new in today’s world, which is often atrophied by selfishness. Believers of different religious traditions can offer their own valuable contributions to universal fraternity in the societies in which they live. Fratelli tutti states: “It is wrong when the only voices to be heard in public debate are those of the powerful and ‘experts.’ Room needs to be made for reflections born of religious traditions that are the repository of centuries of experience and wisdom” (FT 275). In reality, religious believers are witnesses and bearers of values that can make a great contribution to the building of societies that are healthier and more just. Integrity, fidelity, love of the common good, concern for others (especially the needy), kindness, and mercy are valuable tools that form part of the spiritual treasury of the diverse religions.

Living one’s own identity in the “courage of otherness” is the threshold that the Church of Pope Francis is asking us to cross today.

We are asked to take concrete steps along with believers of other religions and with persons of good will, with the hope that we will all feel called to be messengers of peace and builders of communion, especially in these difficult times.

God is the Creator of everyone and everything. We are therefore members of one family and should recognize one another as such. This is the basic criterion that faith offers us for advancing from being merely tolerant to living together as brothers and sisters.

When Pope Francis invites the different religions to place themselves at the service of fraternity for the good of all humanity, he is announcing a new epoch. Our shared journey opens us up to new light and new creativity, challenging the very heart of every religion. Moreover, fraternity can also become the path for religious beliefs.

In a dehumanized world, in which relations among persons are characterized by indifference and greed, there is need for a new and universal solidarity and a new dialogue based on fraternity. Interreligious dialogue has an essential function in building a civil society that includes everyone and rejects the throwaway culture. The objective of dialogue is to work, in genuine collaboration among all believers, to achieve what is good for all humankind by struggling against all the injustices that still afflict our world and by condemning every type of violence.

Looking toward the future, then, we should take care that religions do not close in upon themselves. While we remain firmly rooted in our own identities as believers, we should resolve, together with all persons of good will and despite our differences, to move forward on the path of human fraternity. In the world there are many religions. From the interreligious perspective, we have to maintain a relation of respect and friendship, as the Pope wishes. This will allow us to defend the equality of all as human beings. We are believers with different visions, and we should not renounce our own identity, but we should call for sincerity of intentions.

Let us again give thanks to Pope Francis because Fratelli tutti makes us all feel closer to the love of Christ and the Church, and it encourages us to place ourselves, all together, at the service of the fraternity of this world.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Religious Freedom and the Document on Human Fraternity 
Sessione del Consiglio dei Diritti dell’Uomo
Geneva (27-28 February 2020)

H. Em. Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ
President, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue

Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Religious Leaders, 
Representatives of the United Nations Organizations,

I am delighted to be with you in this occasion and I am grateful to His Excellency Ivan Jurkovi?, Permanent Observer of the Holy See Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, for organising this High-Level Event on the Religious Freedom and the Document on ‘Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together’ signed by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand-Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, in Abu Dhabi just one year ago (February 4^th 2019). I also thank you all for your valuable presence on this occasion. 

When we look at the Document on ‘Human Fraternity’ we can recognise it as a milestone on the path of interreligious dialogue. It marks how far we have come together, but it is also a point of departure. Thus, the Document on Human Fraternity is not so much a map, but a day-to-day commitment of working together for the common good and contributing, as believers, along with people of good will, to heal our wounded world.

Fraternity implies inclusiveness not only to my group, community, culture, religion but of all as brother or sister. To live in fraternity becomes the dynamic, as the Document suggests, by which we rise above differences and instead build bridges of coexistence for a new world.

Pope Francis in his speech at the Global Conference of Human Fraternity said: “There is no alternative: either we will build the future together or there will be no future. Religions in particular cannot renounce the urgent task of building bridges between peoples and cultures. The time has come when religions should more actively exert themselves, with courage and audacity, and without pretense, to help the human family deepen the capacity for reconciliation, the vision of hope and the concrete paths of peace.” (Address of Pope Francis, Global Conference of Human Fraternity, Founder’s Memorial Abu Dhabi, 4.2.2019).    

Beside the well-known obstacles, confrontations, prejudices and conflicts in today’s world, the Abu Dhabi Declaration beckons us to move beyond any difficulty by remaining always rooted in our own identity, avoiding any kind of syncretism, and supported by the sincerity of our intentions, and at the same time to listen and understand the “other”. 

The text of the Abu Dhabi Declaration emphasizes the need to move from mere tolerance to fraternal coexistence and attests that “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”. In this the document clearly condemns forcing any person to conversion to a particular religion or culture, or to a style of civilization that is contrary to their background, religion or own culture. 

It seems that we must consider  religious freedom not as a political or ideological issue: rather the main concern should be protecting human rights and the fundamental and inalienable freedoms given by the Creator to each person, thus promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies, in which one’s beliefs and religious practices can be expressed openly and without punitive response .

In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis wrote: “The Synod Fathers spoke of the importance of respect for religious freedom, viewed as a fundamental human right. This includes “the freedom to choose the religion which one judges to be true and to manifest one’s beliefs in public”. A healthy pluralism, one which genuinely respects differences and values them as such, does not entail privatizing religions in an attempt to reduce them to the quiet obscurity of the individual’s conscience or to relegate them to the enclosed precincts of churches, synagogues or mosques. This would represent, in effect, a new form of discrimination and authoritarianism” (Evangelii Gaudium, 255).

Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar have notably addressed the topic of religious freedom citing how attacks originate and what needs to be done to defend against those attacks. In such it goes beyond the two particular religious traditions, but can be applied in general to all religions and to the international community.

The document clearly denounces any attack on religious freedom that emerge from “hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism” that originate in a “deviation from religious teachings,” and lead to “political manipulation of religions and … interpretations made by religious groups who, in the course of history, have taken advantage of the power of religious sentiment in the hearts of men and women in order to make them act in a way that has nothing to do with the truth of religion. This is done,” they said, ‘for the purpose of achieving objectives that are political, economic, worldly and short-sighted.” They therefore made a passionate appeal to “all concerned to stop using religions to incite hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism, and to refrain from using the name of God to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression.” God did not, they affirmed, “create men and women to be killed or to fight one another, nor to be tortured or humiliated in their lives and circumstances,” and underlined that God “does not want His name to be used to terrorize people.”

The document cites another danger comes to religious freedom from secular societies. Such threats come from “a desensitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and a prevailing individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles.” This anthropological materialism, can potentially undermine human dignity, by ignoring the human person’s spiritual nature, and eventually leading to a practical atheism that fails to acknowledge, value, advocate and defend for the person’s spiritual rights, including the right to conscience and to order one’s life to what one believes God has revealed.

A key point regards the protection of places of worship as a direct consequence of the defense of freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Addressing both governments as well as believers, the document clarifies that “The protection of places of worship – synagogues, churches and mosques – is a duty guaranteed by religions, human values, laws and international agreements. Every attempt to attack places of worship or threaten them by violent assaults, bombings or destruction, is a deviation from the teachings of religions as well as a clear violation of international law.”

The need to bolster the concept of the rule of law and equality before the law based on the principle of citizenship, regardless of one’s religion, race or ethnicity is affirmed in order to protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

“The concept of citizenship,” the Document states, “is based on the equality of rights and duties, under which all enjoy justice. It is therefore crucial to establish in our societies,” they continued, “the concept of full citizenship and reject the discriminatory use of the term minorities that engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority. Its misuse paves the way for hostility and discord; it undoes any successes and takes away the religious and civil rights of some citizens who are thus discriminated against.”

The law must equally and unequivocally guarantee every citizen’s human rights, among which is the right to freedom of religion. Even in places where one religion is accorded special constitutional status, the right of all citizens and religious communities to freedom of religion, equality before the law, and appropriate means for recourse when their rights are violated, must be recognized and defended in order to establish and maintain harmonious and fruitful coexistence among individuals, communities and nations.

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar stressed that there should be no difference nor a distinction between Christians and Muslims as to rights and citizenship in any country. He invited Christians living as a minority in any country to "stop feeling that you are a minority, you are our fellow citizens!" (Address of Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Global Conference of Human Fraternity, Founder’s Memorial Abu Dhabi, 4.2.2019).

True religious freedom requires that political authorities engage with religious leaders, with faith-based organizations and those of civil society, which are committed to promoting religious freedom and freedom of conscience.

In Rabat Pope Francis said: “We believe that God created human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and he calls them to live as brothers and sisters and to spread the values of goodness, love and peace. That is why freedom of conscience and religious freedom – which is not limited to freedom of worship alone, but allows all to live in accordance with their religious convictions – are inseparably linked to human dignity” (Address of His Holiness, Rabat, 30 March 2019).

Religious freedom is simultaneously a fundamental principle that flows from human nature and an existential reality in the life of every person. Unfortunately, it remains under threat both as a principle and in lived experience in the lives of too many people. Too often in many realities around the globe, religious freedom is more often words rather than the practice.

In a video message recorded with António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary General, at the Vatican Apostolic Palace December 20, the Pope said: “We cannot, we must not turn away when the believers of various faiths are persecuted, in different parts of the world. The use of religion to incite hatred … cries out for God’s justice”.

In reading the Abu Dhabi Document in view pf a pluralistic world and a globalized society, there cannot be reconciliation between East and West, between North and South unless we begin from a common point: the condemnation and rejection of any kind of violence or war as a solution to differences. As the Holy Father has said many times, we are in midst of a Third World War, being fought piecemeal around the globe. Thus, contemporary societies where persons live together among different cultures and religions must place above all concrete efforts for integration and harmony without which war will persevere. Religions and cultures are challenged draw forth from their deepest values their expression of peace utilizing these gifts throughout the world.

 “This requires respect for religious freedom and the resolve to reject the discriminatory use of the term ‘minorities’, which engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority, and paves the way for hostility and discord, discriminating between citizens on the basis of their religious affiliation. To this end, it is particularly important to train future generations in interreligious dialogue, the main road to greater knowledge, understanding and reciprocal support between the members of different religions” (Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps, 9^th January 2020).

Pope Francis believes that the motivation for interreligious dialogue is the mutual commitment to peace and justice. In fact, interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it becomes a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities (cfr. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 250). Pope Francis’s promotions of friendship as a model for interreligious dialogue bespeaks what he calls the “culture of encounter,” asking for a readiness to listen and to collaborate for the good of humanity and to defend the right to religious freedom. 

Believers are called to offer their collaboration to the societies in which they are citizens, calling on their common values and their deepest convictions concerning the sacred and inviolable character of life and of the human person. The coherent and credible believer is a witness and bearer of values, which can greatly contribute to building a more just society.

I hope that the Document on Human Fraternity will be welcomed by the international community for the good of the whole human family making that milestone the ability to pass from simple tolerance to true collaboration and peaceful coexistence.

Let us promote the historic Document on Human Fraternity calling everyone to reflect and study this new opportunity to foster peace, coexistence and freedom. 

Thank you for your kind attention.