Pope Francis received a delegation from the Abrahamic Family Complex at the Vatican on Monday and encouraged them to walk together in harmony with human brotherhood.
Vatican News
VATICAN CITY, Tuesday, October 29, 2024 (REI): Pope Francis received a delegation from the Abrahamic Family Complex in the Vatican this Monday. It is a single complex consisting of a synagogue, a cathedral and a mosque in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
This unique structure, set to open in early 2023, promotes and facilitates interfaith coexistence and harmony as stipulated in the historic Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Coexistence in 2019.
During the meeting, Pope Francis thanked the delegation, led by Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, president of the Abrahamic Family Complex, for their efforts to make the aspirations of the document a reality.
Representatives of the Department for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See also attended the meeting.
Abrahamic Family Complex
The Abrahamic Family Complex, which was born following Pope Francis’ historic visit to the emirate in February 2019, was the first Pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula and embodies the principles outlined in the Document on Human Fraternity.
The Abrahamic Family House, located in the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, is a center of education, dialogue and faith.
It consists of three places of worship: the Mosque of His Excellency Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Catholic Church of Saint Francis, dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, and the Moisés Ben Maimón Synagogue.
Since its inauguration in 2023, the cathedral has welcomed 130,000 worshipers for masses and prayers, and has hosted more than 100 events, including celebrations marking important moments in the Christian religious calendar and festive occasions such as weddings and baptisms.
In addition, the delegation made a symbolic visit to the Church of Saint Francis, located within the Abrahamic Family Complex, and praised the commitment of the Pope and the Catholic Church to promote interreligious dialogue and peaceful coexistence throughout the world.
human brotherhood
The document on human fraternity was jointly signed by Pope Francis and Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi.
The document that served as the basis for Pope Francis’ Apostolic Encyclical on Human Fraternity Fratelli Tutti The Pope and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar have called for peace and respect among all people and have encouraged all religions to seek dialogue, mutual respect and cooperation.
