Translation of a speech delivered by Pope Francis during a meeting with members of the Muslim Council of Elders at the Sakhir Palace Mosque.
Fr. Jinu Jacob, Vatican City
I greet you heartily, wishing that the peace of the Most High rest upon each of you. Peace be upon you who view extremism as a danger that destroys the true religion, eradicate the false interpretations that mislead, exploit and destroy religious faith through violence, and desire to spread the values of respect, tolerance and moderation by instilling them in hearts. To my brothers and sisters who tirelessly strive to foster moral and intellectual education among the youth in this world of hatred and intolerance, promoting friendship, mutual respect and mutual trust with those who hold a different religious faith like mine. ‘Assalamu Alaikum’
God is the source of peace. He invites us to be the spokesmen of His peace everywhere! I want to underline before you that the God of peace never leads us to war, never stirs up hatred, never favors violence. We who believe in him are also called to ensure peace through the instruments of peace, associations, patient discussions, debates, and conversations that are the lifeblood of common coexistence. One of your goals is to spread a culture of peace based on justice. I want to tell you that this is the only way, as peace is an act of justice (Gaudium et Spes, 78). This culture of peace helps us fight against injustices and inequalities by holding the hands of others, springing from brotherhood (speech delivered at the closing of the 7th Conference of Traditional Religious Leaders on September 15, 2022). Peace must not only be declared, but must take root. This is achieved by removing inequalities and discriminations that create instability and hostility.
I thank you for your commitment in this regard, the hospitality you have extended to me, and the kind words you have spoken. Here I come to you as a believer, a brother, and a pilgrim of peace. I come to you to walk together in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, who said, “May the peace you proclaim with your mouth abound more in your hearts.” (The Legend of the Three Companions, XIV, 5, 1469). Another hospitality that blew my mind is your style of holding the guest’s hand to his heart while shaking hands and bringing him closer to his life. Your person is not far from me, but enters my heart, my life. I pray to God for the opportunity to meet each of you, and to put your hands on my heart with respect and affection. I believe that we need to meet more, get to know each other, and hold each other close to our hearts in order to overcome prejudices and misunderstandings in the name of the history of the one who is the source of peace. On the other hand, if we remain strangers to each other, how can believers of different religions and cultures live together, welcome each other and respect each other? Let the words of Imam Ali guide us: “People are of two types: either your brothers in your faith or your fellow human beings” Let us listen to the great call to care for all who He has given us according to the divine plan.” To forget the past and ensure social justice, moral values, peace and freedom for all human beings with sincere mutual understanding. We can also exhort ourselves to protect (Nostra Aetate,3). We who are called to lead religions have great responsibilities, which are swollen with fear in the face of globalization, wounds of pain and sorrow in life, keeping members close to the heart and giving hope to the soul and leading them to higher thoughts in life.
In recent days I have been talking about the power of life that exists in the driest of deserts, including the waters of communion and peaceful coexistence. I said this yesterday, modeled after the amazing “tree of life” found here in Bahrain. The biblical account we have heard places the tree of life at the heart of God’s wonderful plan for man as a harmonious design capable of containing all creation in the primordial garden. However, man then moves away from the Creator and the order he established. The resulting problems and imbalances are seen in the biblical account: quarrels and murders between brothers (Genesis 4), environmental damage and destruction (Genesis 6-9), selfishness and conflicts in society (Genesis 11). A flood of evil and death erupts from the heart of man, from the spark unleashed by evil lurking at the door of his heart (cf. Gen 4,7), and the unity of the world is broken. All these evils are rooted in the rejection of God and brother. Man loses sight of the author of life and does not recognize himself as the keeper of his brothers. So the two questions we have heard are always valid, beyond creeds, they challenge every existence and every age: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9); “Where’s your brother?” (Genesis 4:9).
Brethren in Abraham, my dear friends as monotheists, social and international evils, economic and personal problems, as well as the dramatic environmental crisis that characterizes this age, ultimately stem from alienation from God and brothers. Therefore, we have a unique and inescapable duty to find these forgotten sources of life, to bring mankind back to the worship of God in heaven in this ancient wisdom, and to draw one another closer to the people He created for His earth. How is this possible? Our means are mainly two: prayer and fraternity. These are humble and effective weapons. We must not allow ourselves to be tempted by other devices that dishonor the name of peace, by unworthy shortcuts of the Most High. Coercion, violence, and the arms trade create a discourse of death that turns our public housing into an arsenal.
What dark conspiracies and painful contradictions lie behind all this! For example, conflicts created through the accumulation of weapons cause people to leave their own land and migrate to other places. They are then turned away at the borders of other countries with sophisticated weapon protection fences. Thus one’s life experiences and hopes are killed twice. In these tragic situations, when the world is only following the whims of power, authority and money, we are called to remember with the wisdom of our elders and forefathers that God and brothers come before all else as strength to the suffering. And brotherhood, and the assurance that divinity will save us. It is up to us to find these sources of life, otherwise the desert created in humanity will become more dry and deadly. Above all, we have a greater responsibility before God and before men to testify that we believe in these two truths by deeds than by words, not only in our communities and homes, but in this new unified and globalized world. Each of us should be exemplary examples of preaching. We, the descendants of Abraham, the father of believers, should have a heart that is close to others living on earth and includes them instead of a heart that is confined to ourselves. These are the questions that everyone asks themselves, at least in the secrets of their hearts: Who is man, why pain, evil, death, injustice? What is after this life?. However, while practical materialism and a stifling consumer culture keep many of these questions dormant, others are silenced by the inhuman pain of hunger and poverty. Looking at the hunger and poverty in the world today, neglectful behaviors on our part, running away from our responsibilities, and not preaching God who gives peace and life to others are great crimes. Brothers and sisters, let us support these great responsibilities, let us follow our gathering today, let us walk together! May the Most High bless us, especially the poor and the children, the smallest and weakest creatures he loves: after many dark nights our young people await the dawn of light and peace. Thanks.