We are united in humanity against pandemics: Pope Francis
ROME 15 May 2020: His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, has called for praying together for an end to the coronavirus, Covid-19 pandemic, praising the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity for launching the ‘Pray For Humanity’ initiative.
He said people of all faiths and traditions are called to pray and fast together for delivery from the pandemic, said Wam.
“The Day of Prayer Against the Pandemic reminds us that we are all brothers and sisters, no matter our religious affiliation.”
“Today, the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity has called for a day of prayer and fasting to ask the merciful God for an end to this tragic moment of the pandemic. We are all brothers and sisters. Everyone prays as they know how, as they can, according to what they have received from their culture. We aren’t praying against each other We are united in humanity as brothers and sisters.”
None of us expected the coronavirus pandemic, he said. Now it is upon us, and “many people are dying, many of them alone.”
He noted that over 3.7 million people died from hunger in the first four months of the year.
“This day of prayer against the pandemic must make us think also of many other pandemics. The pandemics of war, of hunger.”
“May God put an end to this tragedy – this pandemic – and have mercy on us. And may He put an end to the other terrible pandemics of hunger, war, and uneducated children. This we ask as brothers and sisters, all together. May God bless us all, and have mercy on us.”
Memorable occasion to promote amicability: Grand Imam of Al Azhar
CAIRO: His Eminence Dr. Ahmad Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, said the ‘Pray For Humanity’ call by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity should be marked as a memorable occasion to promote amicability, worldwide.
” We should mark this day as a memorable occasion to be inscribed on the slate of human history and celebrate it every year with the purpose of promoting a world where amicability and diversity values prevail instead of fanaticism, bigotry, hate of the other, and discrimination among people on the basis of faith, color, race, and wealth.”
Below is the Grand Imam of Al Azhar’s full statement:
Our fellow brothers and sisters all over the globe, I salute you with the greeting of Islam: May God’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
It gives me pleasure to address you on such a historic day, speaking about human fraternity and kinship and hoping that God’s mercy embraces us all at such a hard time during which the entire world is groaning under the burden of this ferociously sweeping pandemic, which is unprecedented in modern history.
This call for prayer issued by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity is a sincere call on everyone to make devout supplication to the One Who possesses everything. It is a prayer in which we beseech God, turning to Him and seeking refuge in Him, to immediately lift this distress and deliver humanity from its unpropitious consequences, to heal the patients, and to have mercy on the deceased out of His divine bounty and munificence.
Now as we call the world today to turn to God, the Omnipotent, and draw closer to Him through worship and prayer, we likewise urge the entire humanity – under the common human bond that ties them all together – to work on rediscovering the values of justice, peace, coexistence, and equality among all humans.
This should be done with all due respect to the peculiarities of the different creeds, religions, and rituals, and in full belief in the importance of science, and in appreciation of the efforts of scientists and scientific research. We also applaud scientists’ constant struggle in quest for an effective treatment to save humanity from this pandemic.
Dear fellow humans in the East and the West, We should mark this day as a memorable occasion to be inscribed on the slate of human history and celebrate it every year with the purpose of promoting a world where amicability and diversity values prevail instead of fanaticism, bigotry, hate of the other, and discrimination among people on the basis of faith, color, race, and wealth.
Let us allow this day to be the first step in the right direction on a new track abounding in love, respect and cooperation among all fellow humans. In this way, the distress shall transform into a gift, God’s willing, and collaboration shall replace alienation and transgression. Let it be a day to celebrate alleviation of the pains of the migrants, refugees, victims of wars, and those whose lands and resources have been usurped. Let May 14 mark the beginning of a new world where peacemaking overcomes the industry of weapons, showing evidence of our ability to create a common environment where we can all live together as fellow brothers and sisters enjoying mutual love.
In the name of Al-Azhar, or rather in the name of all my fellow brothers and sisters in humanity, I would like to thank all medical staff, all male and female scientists and researchers working to find a treatment to protect us from this pandemic. I would also like to thank all individuals and institutions carrying out initiatives and projects to help us fight this battle. I invoke God to guide them and make them of benefit to all humanity.
It is high time, dear fellow brothers and sisters, that we turn to God, Exalted is He, sincerely, devoutly and in good will, knowing that “none other than God can remove it”. (Qur’an, 53:58) O God, we ask You for forgiveness and constant wellbeing in this life and in the life to come. May God’s peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Worlds.
Nahyan leads religious leaders in prayer
ABU DHABI: The Ministry of Tolerance, in cooperation with the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, concluded its global initiative that called on all religious leaders worldwide to participate in a live prayer for humanity to Allah Almighty to end the coronavirus pandemic and guide humanity to a cure.
During the mass prayer, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, was at the forefront of participating religious leaders, assuring them that fraternity unites all human beings in facing dangers that threaten existence while hoping that Allah Almighty will protect humanity from all threats and pandemics.
Attending the remote prayer, which was streamed live on the ministry’s social networking accounts, were Dr. Farouq Hamadeh, a Religious Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court; Bishop Paul Hinder, Vicar Apostolic for Southern Arabia; Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Executive Director and University Chaplain, Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, NYU; Surender Singh Kandhari, Chairman, Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple, Dubai; Marcus Oates, Abu Dhabi President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Raju Schroff, Representative of the Hindu Temple, Dubai.
The prayer, which was moderated by Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim, Deputy Director, Board of Trustees of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Establishment, also witnessed the participation of several Emirati executive and intellectual leaders, including Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili Chairman of the Department of Community Development; Afra Al Sabri, Director-General at the Minister of Tolerance’s Office; Mariam Mohammad Al Rumaithi, Director-General of the Family Development Foundation; and Noura Al Suwaidi, Director of the General Women’s Union.
At the start of the session, Sheikh Nahyan said, “We meet today to pray to the Creator to eradicate the coronavirus and to inspire us with the ability, cooperation, solidarity and joint action in the face of this affliction. We ask God Almighty to show mercy and care to all the scholars and doctors and those working in the field of healthcare. We pray to God to ensure our sincere efforts to discover the means of prevention and treatment from the virus are successful. We pray that we can work together to face this pandemic that has been affecting everyone without discrimination. This prayer is considered a suitable event for destroying divisions between humans, and an important guide on the meanings of love, fraternity and peace.”
Sheikh Nahyan added, “In the UAE of Zayed Al Khair, together, we announce that this prayer for humanity is a wonderful example of our strong commitment to cultivating positive human relations between people everywhere.”
He concluded his speech by asking God to “accept our prayers and supplications, and to give us hope and ability in the face of this pandemic, and make us all an example embodying cooperation and joint action between all human beings, out of the understanding that He is the King of kings and He is the Almighty, Capable of anything.”
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