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Vatican Media
Abu Dhabi (Agenzia Fides) - In a world where secularization is advancing more and more, "the only antidote to this is encounter and dialogue marked by friendship and respect between persons of different religious traditions". This "can help us to overcome a further suspicious attitude which sadly we see increasingly in highly secularized societies, namely the suspicion or even hostility directed not only towards particular religious traditions, but toward the religious dimension as such", said Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization - Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches - in his speech in Abu Dhabi at the inauguration of the ceremony for the award of the "Zayed Award for Human Fraternity". The Award was created in 2019, following the signing of the Document on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together”, signed on 4 February of that year in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb.
Six years after this historic signature, in the “Abrahamic Family House”, a structure also born following the publication of the document, Cardinal Tagle, as representative of the Holy See, assured those present that the Catholic Church recognizes and upholds the “value of promoting friendship and respect among men and women of different religious traditions ” and, at the same time, how important these elements are today, “since, on the one hand, in a certain sense the world has become “smaller” than ever before, and, on the other, because the phenomenon of migration has increased contact between persons and communities from various traditions, cultures and religions”.
"In various parts of the world", said the Pro-Prefect of the Missionary Dicastery, "there are situations in the world where coexistence is difficult, to say the least, where political or economic motives exploit cultural or religious differences, playing upon past misunderstandings or mistakes, and resulting in a climate of suspicion and fear". Hence the invitation to reflect on dialogue as "the only antidote to this".
"Indeed, whenever we take that route, the path outlined by the Document on Human Fraternity, we become ever more authentically human", emphasized the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, recalling that in secularized societies, where "religion is looked upon as something useless or even dangerous, and it is frequently thought that coexistence is only possible if people relegate their own religious affiliation to the purely private sphere or meet in “neutral” spaces, devoid of any reference to the transcendent" dialogue is in fact the only viable solution.
“It is impossible to think of fraternity as being “born in a laboratory”. Naturally, it is necessary that everyone respect the sincere convictions of others, including unbelievers, but we must have the courage and patience to do so by holding true to who we are and what we believe,” concluded the cardinal, stressing how “the recognition and proclamation of the fundamental right of religious freedom in all its dimensions is essential for world peace and living together ”.
Since its inception (2019), the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, has so far been awarded to 16 recipients, including 11 individuals and 5 organizations. Moreover, 66 countries have been involved in the nomination process. This year's winner was the World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization that provides food to communities affected by crises and conflicts. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, was also honored for her commitment to the fight against climate change. Another award went to the Ethiopian-American inventor Heman Bekele, who, at the age of just fifteen, developed a low-cost soap that prevents and cures early-stage skin cancer. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/2/2025)
