This Thursday, February 4, the first International Day of Universal Fraternity is celebrated.
From Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a meeting has been organized in which guests such as the Pope, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, will participate virtually.
There, the winner of the Zayeb award will be announced, which distinguishes people dedicated to building peace and dialogue.
It is no coincidence that this event is organized on February 4. On that day, in 2019, Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar together signed the ambitious document for the Universal Fraternity.
This meeting laid the foundations for a common policy between Christians and Muslims to fight against fanaticism and discrimination against fundamentalist groups.
Since then, the Pope has given a copy of the document to all the heads of state or government he receives.
The text is a commitment to build a more united world, an idea that the Pope also takes up in his latest encyclical “Fratelli Tutti.”
The Abu Dhabi initiative was welcomed and promoted also by the UN. For this reason, he promoted that this World Day of Universal Fraternity be celebrated every February 4.
Your first appointment, due to the pandemic, will have to be online.
Javier Romero
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