Vatican City, 04 February, 2022 / 8:10 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis on Friday encouraged people of all religious faiths to combat the world’s darkness and conflict with signs of fraternity.
“Let us counter the many threatening signs, times of darkness, and mindsets of conflict with the sign of fraternity that, in accepting others and respecting their identity, invites them to a shared journey,” the pope said on Feb. 4.
The pope’s video message was sent to mark the third anniversary of the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” which Francis signed with Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar, during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4, 2019.
In 2020, the United Nations established the International Day of Human Fraternity, to be observed annually on Feb. 4.
U.S. President Joe Biden marked the day with a letter urging open-mindedness, cooperation, empathy, dialogue, and tolerance in response to today’s challenges.