The International Academy of Catholic Leaders, within the framework of the International Day of Human Fraternity, has organized an interreligious meeting, to commemorate the historic document signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib , in Abu Dhabi, on February 4, 2019. In this document, entitled “Human Fraternity for world peace and common coexistence”, a call is made to the United Nations and all humanity to work for peace and harmony between different religions.

For this meeting, which will take place on February 5, religious leaders of various confessions have been invited, who will share their experiences and reflections on the importance of interreligious dialogue and the culture of encounter. Among the speakers are the Anglican Bishop, Mons. Francisco Duque, Rabbi Alfredo Goldshimich, and the director of the Institute of Interreligious Dialogue, Alejandro E. Williams. The main objective of this event is to promote understanding and mutual respect between different religious communities, as well as to spread the message of human fraternity proposed by Pope Francis in his encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’.

José Antonio Rosas, director of the International Academy of Catholic Leaders, expressed his satisfaction with this initiative: “Pope Francis has encouraged us to dialogue without ceasing, from the perspective of God, so that religions can be put at the service of humanity and contribute to a peace that is only possible through collaboration between different faiths. We are very happy to lead this international initiative by bringing together members of different religions who have agreed to participate in this meeting.”

Participation in this event, scheduled for February 5 at the following times:

– 09:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (Mexico and Central America).

– 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Washington).

– 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Venezuela, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic).

– 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay).

– 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Spain and Italy).

The International Academy of Catholic Leaders, with presence in 40 dioceses in 13 countries, including Chile, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico, United States and Spain, is consolidated as a international training center in the Social Doctrine of the Church. To date, it has trained more than 35 thousand alumni through in-person and virtual programs.