Our world has all the time been an arena of conflicts, wars, and violence. It is a place where virtue and evil have all the time been at loggerheads. With evil prevailing most of the time, it is triggered by people’s lust for power, wealth, and fame at the expense of oppressed people. Yet no matter how evil prevails, virtue is the triumphant in the end.
The world peoples are currently undergoing an extreme state of confusion which has been caused by an epidemic that stripped people of hope in a bright future and further exacerbated the already complicated social problems.
Pope Francis, the descendent of St. Peter, has all the times been striving to quench the flames of conflict and poverty. On the eve of his historic trip to Iraq, he said, “For a long time I have wanted to meet those people who have suffered so much; to meet that martyred Church in the land of Abraham. Together with the other religious leaders, we shall also take another step forward in fraternity among believers.”
Pope Francis has all the times focused on the significance of fraternity in its capacity as the core for peace, love and common living. Regardless of the differences prevailing among people with regards to faith or race all people are brothers in humanity.
This attitude was lucidly manifested On February 4, 2019 when Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, signed in Abu Dhabi a historic declaration of peace, freedom, women’s rights, namely, "The Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together".
The declaration declares the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; and reciprocal understanding as the method and standard. It furthermore calls for working strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and to bring an end to wars, and conflicts. The document also calls for the attainment of justice based on mercy and maps out steps that need to be taken into consideration to eliminate persecution and violence.
With the prevalence of justice based on mercy, the world peoples will definitely restore their integrity and dignity leading to the elimination of factors that cause turbulence and wars.
On the anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi's death, October 3, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass before the Saint's tomb and signed his encyclical "Fratelli tutti" which is the Italian for 'All Brothers'.
The central theme of the papal letter reveals that our common belonging makes us brothers and sisters. It, furthermore, accentuates the fact that fraternity is a step leading to the horizon of a fulfilled and happy humanity. This is the right time to view fraternity and social friendship as what actually unites people.
All world population should have access to these encyclicals, grasp the divine ideas they incorporate, as well as view them in their capacity as setting the bases for creating societies that promote fraternity and social friendship, which consequently ensure permanent posterity and well-being.
Will the world leaders and peoples delve into these encyclicals and accordingly take necessary steps leading to the entrenchment of fraternity which leads global peace, prosperity, common living among all peoples?
