New York, 4 February 2023

The International Day of Human Fraternity celebrates the values of compassion, religious understanding, and mutual respect.

These values underwrite peace and are the glue that hold our human family together.

Yet all over the world, they are being eroded.

By deepening divides, widening inequalities, and growing despair.  

By surging hate speech, sectarianism, and strife.

The fact is, we see examples of religious extremism and intolerance in all societies and among all faiths.

It is the duty of religious leaders everywhere to prevent instrumentalization of hatred and defuse extremism amidst their followers.

The declaration “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” – co-authored by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb – is a model for interfaith harmony and human solidarity.

Let us all take inspiration and renew our commitment to stand together as one human family.

Together, let us build an alliance of peace. Rich in diversity, equal in dignity and rights, united in solidarity.