Pope Francis
Pope Francis gestures at the end of weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on October 28, 2020. Image Credit: AFP

Cairo: Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb and Pope Francis of the Catholic Church have posted a joint tweet urging the consolidation of human values highlighted in a document they co-signed last year in the UAE.

The Document on Human Fraternity, also called the “Abu Dhabi Declaration”, was signed in February 2019, emphasizing values of tolerance, peace and freedom of faith.

Sheikh Al Tayeb tweeted: “I was pleased to speak over the phone yesterday with my brother @Pontifex. We discussed a number of issues and our continued support for human fraternity as a means to eliminating violence, discrimination and hate, and that religions are not to be blamed for these indiscretions.”

Similarly, the pontiff tweeted: “We reaffirm our support to human fraternity as the solution to erase violence, discrimination and hatred in the name of religion. Religions have nothing to do with these.”

Both leaders have been making high-profile efforts to promote inter-faith dialogue, and culture of tolerance and peaceful co-existence.