Tale of Two Journeys and Two Popes

Historical Background to Human Fraternity

The tale of two journeys involves two popes.  One traveled westward and the other eastward.  It starts thirteen years ago with Pope Benedict XVI and his apostolic journey to Germany where he presented his now famous Regensburg Lecture in 2006 on Faith, Reason and the University.  In other words, the lecture discusses the rationality of faith.  Benedict XVI referred to an obscure 14^th century text concerning a dialogue between the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleogogus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam.  Forcefully, the emperor says to his dialogue partner, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”  The emperor goes on to say that it is not necessary to resort to force, a whip, or any threat of death, adding no one can claim to use violence because it is an order from God.

There were of course a variety of responses to the Regensburg Lecture.  These ranged from outright condemnation, a call for the pope to apologize, defense of the pope, and an initiative to dialogue with the pope.  Pope Benedict XVI himself did express his regret for the reactions in some countries by his address at Regensburg, which was offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.  Among the more radical reactions, it was reported that several churches were attacked and burned in the West Bank and Gaza.  There even were news reports that some groups were calling for violence against Catholics, Christians, and even the pope himself.  However, one of the more remarkable responses was a call for an inter-religious dialogue in the spirit of intellectual exchange and a quest for mutual understanding.  In 2007, a group of 38 Muslim religious scholars and leaders wrote an Open Letter to His Holiness PopeBenedict XVI in response to his Regensburg Lecture demonstrating openness to dialogue. * 

In 2010, the Synod for the Middle East met to discuss the Catholic Church in the Middle East.  Before Pope Benedict XVI released his post-synod letter on the meeting, several churches of Coptic Christians in Alexandria were bombed.  Pope Benedict condemned the attack.   In response, Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt broke off diplomatic relations with the Holy See (though later restored in 2016).  When the post-synod exhortation was released by the Vatican, entitled Ecclesia in Medio Oriente (Church in the Middle East), Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed and encouraged interreligious dialogue among Christians, Jews, and Muslims as children of Abraham (secs. 19, 23, 25-28).  Benedict XVI expressed himself as follows:

May Jews, Christians and Muslims find in other believers brothers and sisters to be respected and loved, and in this way, beginning in their own lands, give the beautiful witness of serenity and concord between the children of Abraham. Rather than being exploited in endless conflicts which are unjustifiable for authentic believers, the acknowledgment of one God – if lived with a pure heart – can make a powerful contribution to peace in the region and to respectful coexistence on the part of its peoples (Eccleisia in Medio Oriente 19).

In 2014, Ahmed al Tayyib, Grand Imam of Al Azhar, established the Muslim Council of Elders, which is based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  It is an international organization of Muslim scholars, experts, and dignitaries.  The Council of Elders would later have an important role in the meeting with Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi and the signing of the document Human Fraternity with Ahmed al Tayyib in February 2019.  Before the signing of the document, there were several meetings, conferences, and declarations between the years 2014-2019.  For example, meetings took place in Morocco, Cairo,  Islamabad, and the UAE. 

Finally, this brings us the second journey.  Pope Francis’ trip to the UAE February 3-5 was intended to be an encouragement to Catholics living in the UAE and to be an engagement in inter-religious dialogue. After thirteen years, the West finally met the East within a tradition begun by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, which stressed the importance of the reasonability of faith, the importance of dialogue, and the rejection of using faith as a pretense for violence and war.