ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 04th Oct, 2020) Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, HCHF, has participated in the launch ceremony of Pope Francis’s new encyclical "Fratelli tutti," at the invitation of His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Catholic Church. Thus, Abdelsalam has become the first-ever Muslim to participate in the launch of a papal encyclical.
The signing event was attended by a number of religious leaders and representatives of international news agencies. The principles of the new encyclical "Fratelli tutti" which can be translated as "we are all brothers and sisters" are an extension of the Document on Human Fraternity, DHF, which was co-signed by His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, on February 4th, 2019.
Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam said the Pope has boldly recorded tragedies of the vulnerable and the miserable and has prescribed the remedy for this incurable disease that has afflicted our modern civilization. He further stressed that this papal encyclical is "a message of social fraternity and friendliness."
He added that the words of the encyclical have unveiled a lot of the Pope’s perfect, educated taste, the subtlety of feeling, and the ability to express issues of human fraternity, in a way that addresses the whole world. Judge Abdelsalam further noted that the Pope’s encyclical is a call for global concord amid an incompatible world, describing it as a strong, a bold, and an explicit message for individual and collective harmony with the cosmic norms of the universe and life-governing laws.
Abdelsalam said he agrees with the Pope’s encyclical with much love and enthusiasm to resurrect human fraternity, especially that he is a Muslim youth who has studied the Islamic law and its sciences and has been a witness to the key terminals of the human fraternity march between the Pope and the Grand Imam over the recent decade. "I was deeply touched as I read the Pope’s words, especially his position on what may be called "the end of awareness of human history" and what this concept would entail of a dangerous cultural penetration. That is because this concept basically refers to the disintegration of cultural heritage and the creation of generations that belittle their heritage and history in spite of the spiritual richness they have. I was greatly impressed by the "human rights" section of the encyclical, which reveals the new forms of human oppression, exploitation, and women oppression. It considers persecution for religious and ethnic reasons, and other violations of human dignity as preludes to the third world war," he added.
Judge Abdelsalam stressed that the DHF and the Pope's new encyclical "Fratelli tutti" together usher in a new era of human history, after our modern world has remained stagnant in absurdity for long. He declared that the HCHF is considering holding a forum for 100 youths from different parts of the world. He further explained that the forum will feature organizing school days in Rome, Abu Dhabi where the DHF was signed, and Egypt, the home of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif. During these school days, the youths will have time to think over, study, and discuss the content of the Pope’s encyclical, which will be a good opportunity to present the encyclical to young people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds, the judge added, noting that it would be a good step on the right path towards universal human fraternity.
Judge Abdelsalam emphasised that the world is witnessing a turning point in human history, saying, "We are at the crossroads between an all-inclusive fraternity that brings about human happiness and extreme misery that increases peoples’ pains and sufferings." He further added, "The all-inclusive fraternity is both necessary and indispensable for the whole world. It is a new approach which will guarantee the creation of a happy, balanced civilisation with its Primary focus on man, irrespective of his or her color, race, language, or religion." The judge also stressed that the human fraternity path is old but renewable and it can always be made new by virtue of the spiritual and moral values as well as the balance and harmony between faith and science that characterize it. He called for uniting humans’ faith-driven energies to fight against discrimination, racism, and hatred, and at the same time, to promote a faith-loving character and protect it from disintegration and dissolution, noting that this is a well-established approach for every devoted believer.
The HCHF Secretary-General affirmed that the Committee will continue to work to translate the DHF into a reality that people live through the realistic and ambitious initiatives it works on. He further added that the Committee always receives sincere support from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who has pledged to work on activating the universal principles of the DHF, so that every human being may enjoy its outcomes, regardless of his or her religion, gender or race.
The HCHF Secretary-General applauded the efforts of the Grand Imam and the Pope and their joint struggle to realise human coexistence and global fraternity, which have culminated in signing the DHF. He further noted that their declaration of the DHF from Abu Dhabi last year, in an exceptional moment of our modern history, marked a turning point and a source of hope for our Arab and Muslim region.
"Every day we see young people rally around the principles of human fraternity and coexistence, and we witness the unprecedented intellectual openness in the relationship among followers of religions. Furthermore, many of those who are intellectually close-minded among followers of religions have started to rethink their intellectual stances. Human fraternity has become a new milestone of goodness, freedom, and fraternity. It has become associated with these two great religious leaders," concluded Judge Abdelsalam.
The new papal encyclical sheds light on several important topics such as the dangers of globalisation and cultural penetration. It warns against using terms such as democracy, freedom, justice, and unity as a tool for hegemony and domination. It also criticises discrimination against immigrants. Pope Francis made clear that the one who encouraged him to write this encyclical was the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, when he met with him in Abu Dhabi to sign the DHF, to affirm together that religions have never fueled wars or been a source of hatred feelings.
In addition to Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, the ceremony was attended by a number of VIPs, including Cardinal Parolin, Prime Minister and Secretary of the State of the Vatican, Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interfaith Dialogue, Dr. Sultan Faisal Al-Remeithi, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Prof. Anna Rowlands, Professor of Catholic Social Thought and Practice, and Prof. Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Sant'Egidio Community and Professor of Contemporary History.
