Latest news with #al-Azhar
Egypt Today
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Al-Azhar Garand Imam calls on India, Pakistan to exercise wisdom, prioritize language of dialogue
CAIRO – 8 May 2025: Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb called on both of India and Pakistan to 'exercise wisdom, prioritize the language of dialogue and demonstrate the utmost levels of self-restraint.' On his X account, el-Tayeb said that 'It is imperative to halt any escalation and to refrain from using shared natural resources as instruments to inflame conflicts and incite fanaticism. We urge a swift return to the negotiation table, for our world today cannot endure further wars and conflicts.' On Wednesday, Egypt called on India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and prioritize diplomatic dialogue after deadly strikes exchanged between the two Asian countries on Wednesday. In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt underlined the importance of resorting to peaceful solutions that fulfill the aspirations of both countries' friendly peoples in achieving calm and stability. Egypt stressed the need to exert every effort to de-escalate the crisis and prevent further regional escalation. A dangerous escalation has erupted between India and Pakistan following a series of Indian missile strikes deep within Pakistani territory. The strikes, which India claims targeted infrastructure linked to a recent tourist massacre, killed at least 26 deaths, including a child, and sparked a furious response from Islamabad. Meanwhile, a local Indian government official said at least eight Indians were killed and 29 others were injured in retaliatory strikes. The Indian strikes were followed by intense exchanges of fire across the disputed border, claiming more lives on both sides. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Indian strikes and vowed retaliation.
Egypt Today
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Al-Azhar Grand Imam congratulates Pope Leo XIV on his election
CAIRO – 8 May 2025: Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb congratulated, on Thursday Pope Leo XIV on his election as Pope of the Catholic Church. El Tayeb said that he is looking forward to continuing collaboration with the new Pope in strengthening interfaith dialogue and promoting the values of human fraternity, in pursuit of global peace, coexistence, and a better future for all humanity. 'My sincere congratulations to Pope Leo XIV on his election as Pope of the Catholic Church. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with His Holiness in strengthening interfaith dialogue and promoting the values of human fraternity, in pursuit of global peace, coexistence, and a better future for all humanity,' el-Tayeb wrote on his X account. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected on Thursday as the first American pope, and took the name Leo XIV. Prevost, 69, will be the267th pontiff after being elected by the College of Cardinals to succeed Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88. According to Vatican news, Prevost was Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent. He spent his childhood and adolescence with his family and studied first at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers and then at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where in 1977 he earned a Degree in Mathematics and also studied Philosophy.
Washington Post
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Pope Francis asked me what keeps me up at night. This is what I learned from him.
The world has lost its most authentic leader and its moral voice. Pope Francis brought clarity to religious leaders: He chose to address poverty, he pursued reconciliation in the church, and he believed in inclusion and compassion. He reminded the world that we are part of one human family and we should love and care for each other and safeguard our planet for future generations. I had the pleasure of meeting Francis in Abu Dhabi on his historic visit there in 2019. There, he signed the Document for Human Fraternity with the grand imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, in an event that brought East and West together in an unprecedented manner. Shortly afterward, he appointed a group of religious and secular leaders to put the intentions expressed in the document into practice, and created the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity. I was honored and humbled to be appointed by Francis to this group of leaders. As a result of my appointment, Francis invited me to the Vatican. I flew to Rome during the days between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the holiest holiday in Judaism. It was quite the experience to have a private audience with the pope. I began to tell him: 'I am Rabbi Lustig, the child of a Holocaust survivor. I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee.' Francis interrupted and said, 'Bruce, may I call you that, I know who you are, you would not be here if I did not know. Now, tell me, what keeps you up at night?' I said 'hate speech,' and for the next hour, we came up with strategies to end hate speech. He listened to me, challenged my views and agreed with me that God spoke the world into being, so speech has the power to create or destroy worlds. I left our audience with a critical lesson learned at the feet of an important teacher. There is only one voice that matters in the end: your own. Francis has journeyed home to be with God, but he has left us his moral voice. It is our responsibility to use that voice to speak out for truth, justice and compassion. That is how we should honor Francis. That is how a moral voice will not be lost. M. Bruce Lustig, Washington The writer is rabbi emeritus of the Washington Hebrew Congregation. The April 22 editorial, 'Pope Francis pulled the church into the 21st century,' was outstanding. It pointed out that Francis 'made the church decidedly more global, modern and inclusive.' It also noted that he didn't condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine, he didn't allow women to be ordained as priests, and he permitted bishops and others complicit in clergy sexual abuse cover-ups to escape accountability. To me, the most illuminating thing about Francis's papacy was his statement regarding a purportedly gay priest: 'Who am I to judge?' That showed a humility completely unexpected from the powerful leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics across the globe. The world would be a much better place if some of its political leaders had a bit of that humility. Vic Presutti, Dayton, Ohio Regarding the April 21 front-page article 'Vance meets pope in private Vatican visit': On the last full day of his life, Pope Francis took the time to meet with Vice President JD Vance. The difference in the figures is striking. Vance has been an attack dog for the Trump administration, advocating a message of exclusion and an aggressive deportation agenda. Francis, in contrast, was a humble man who preached peace, love and tolerance. The pope had rebuked the Trump administration's immigration policy, which Vance justified as aligned with 'ordo amoris,' a medieval Catholic concept that refers to the order of charity. Vance posted on X that the concept is 'basic common sense' because one's moral duties to one's children outweigh those 'to a stranger who lives thousands of miles away.' Washington is ruled by the rich and powerful, but money and power cannot buy entry into heaven. I pray the humility and love espoused by Francis earn him that reward. Diane B. Norton, Fairfax The April 12 front-page article 'A more combative Catholic' explained how Vice President JD Vance tries to justify mass deportations, despite Pope Francis's insistence that the church stand up for the rights of the poor, the suffering, the stranger and the dispossessed — many of whom are immigrants. Vance, along with many Catholic converts among the MAGA right, cites an 'old-school,' 'very Christian concept' according to which Christians should love those they are closest to more than those who are farther away. Vance seems ignorant of the pernicious origins and history of this idea, which gained popularity among Catholics in tandem with rising nationalism and 'scientific' racism, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As quoted in 'From Enemy to Brother' by historian John Connelly, Cardinal Justinian Seredi, leader of the Hungarian church from 1927 to 1945, claimed, 'We must love better those who are nearest to us than those to whom more distant ties bind us: family, nation, religious, etc.' This belief, which eclipsed any notion of the Good Samaritan, underlay the collaboration of Catholics in Germany, Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia with fascists, as well as participation, in some cases, in the Holocaust. After the Second World War, particularly as a result of Vatican II, the church rejected this false doctrine as inhumane and un-Christian. One of the most astonishing things about Christianity is that it posits that each and every human being has a soul and enjoys God's grace. When asked which of the commandments was the most important, Christ answered: to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. And note that 'neighbor' does not mean literal neighbor but other human beings. The Trump administration's policies, including mass deportations, do not represent conservatism or Christian doctrine. Dolores Augustine, Roslyn Heights, New York The writer is professor emerita of history at St. John's University. Sadly, there are Christians who believe that Pope Francis, regardless of his good works, is not destined for heaven because of his Roman Catholicism and liberalism. If God really is as vengeful as some Christians portray Him to be, is anyone — including His supposed ardent followers — truly able to be 'saved'? One could reasonably theorize that He would be especially peeved by those self-professed Christians. He might even deem them frauds. After all, Jesus' teachings are about nonviolence, compassion and love. They also epitomize the primary tenet of socialism: Do not hoard gratuitous wealth in the midst of great poverty. Yet those teachings are not practiced by many so-called Christians, including those who idolize callous politicians who stand for very little or nothing Jesus taught and represents. Frank Sterle Jr., White Rock, British Columbia Pope Francis has been called 'the pope of the people.' All-inclusive. Champion of the marginalized. Call me when women are allowed to become priests. Kimberly Bayer, Silver Spring Regarding the April 23 news article 'Francis's legacy contingent on unpredictable election of his successor': Each of us can follow the example of Pope Francis and be an advocate for feeding the hungry. The pope rallied support for the U.N. World Food Program and other humanitarian agencies. He tried to bring attention to the forgotten conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, where people are facing acute food insecurity. And, more recently, the Vatican's charity called the gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development 'reckless.' Instead of making cuts to USAID and letting food destined for the hungry rot, we should be increasing humanitarian aid, given the number of war and hunger emergencies taking place worldwide. Ordinary Americans can make that happen by being a powerful voice for the hungry and poor like Francis was. In 1943, Catholic Relief Services was founded by the Catholic bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors. Churches gathered donations to feed the hungry in postwar Europe and Asia. A similar nationwide relief drive today would be a great way to honor Francis and save the lives of poor and hungry war victims worldwide. William Lambers, Cincinnati The writer partnered with the U.N. World Food Program to write the book 'Ending World Hunger.'
Gulf Today
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Even the day before death Pope urged end to Gaza war
Western secular leaders and religious patriarchs and prelates attended Pope Francis' globally televised Vatican state funeral in Rome on Saturday. He would have preferred a quiet blessing as he was entombed at the 4th century Basilica de Santi Maria Maggiore where seven other popes have been laid to rest rather than at St. Peter's. Pomp and circumstance did not suit Pope Francis, the first to assume the name of 12-13th century St. Francis of Assisi, who is known for his mission to the poor, love of animals, and advocacy of the environment. Although born, raised, and ordained as priest and bishop in Argentina, he was an Italian Pope, steeped in the culture of the country his parents left to escape Benito Mussolini's Fascism. Francis was the first Jesuit Pope. In 2016, he was the first Pope to meet at the Vatican with Cairo's Al-Azhar's Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb, who heads the world's leading institution of Sunni learning. This encounter ushered in deepening cooperation between the two men who sought to repair relations between the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and 2 billion Muslims. In 2017, Pope Francis attended the international peace conference held in Cairo by al-Azhar and subsequently signed a document on human fraternity. Relations had soured during the papacy of Francis' controversial anti-Muslim predecessor Benedict XVI, who was the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415 It was fitting that the most moving Middle Eastern tribute to Pope Francis came from Imam Tayeb who called him 'a dear friend [who] dedicated his life to serving humanity, advocating for the oppressed, refugees, and the marginalised, and promoting dialogue and understanding among religions and cultures.' After being elected to the papacy, Francis travelled to the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Palestine, and Israel. His mission was to promote peacemaking, restore ties with Muslims, and encourage local Christians to remain in their homelands despite political turmoil, war, and discrimination. His first regional visit in May 2014 was a pilgrimage to Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, the land where Christianity was born. During this visit Francis repeatedly made statements backing Palestinian self-determination, referred to the state of Palestine, met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, prayed at Israel's West Bank separation wall to show disapproval, and called for resumption of negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. The Pope visited Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre to pray with the Orthodox Church leader Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Their encounter took place on the 50th anniversary of a meeting between their predecessors that ended a 900-year rift between the Western and Eastern churches. In 2015, the Vatican signed a treaty formally recognising the state of Palestine. While in Israel, he visited the Holocaust Memorial and in meetings with Israeli President Shimon Perez and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Francis urged them to resume talks with Abbas. Francis' efforts were sharply criticised by right-wing Israelis and Vatican properties were vandalised. Following his death, Israel cancelled social media posts of condolences. During his visit to Turkey that November, Pope Francis prayed alongside Istanbul's chief cleric Rahmi Yaran in the 17th century Blue Mosque. This was meant to counter centuries old antipathy caused by the Vatican-driven Catholic Crusades aimed at wresting the Levant holy lands from Muslims. In early 2019, Francis was the first Pope to visit the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Peninsula when he attended a conference on 'global fraternity' which brought together imams, priests of multiple Christian denominations, rabbis, Hindu priests and other clerics. The high point of the gathering was Francis' meeting with his friend Tayeb. Before leaving Abu Dhabi, Francis celebrated the first ever papal mass held in the Emirates and the Peninsula. He returned that December to attend the conference on combatting climate change, another cause he adopted like his namesake. In March 2021, Pope Francis paid the first ever visit to Iraq which he hailed as the Cradle of Civilisation. He began in Baghdad before travelling to Ur (the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham), Mosul, Najaf, Qaraqosh, and Erbil where he held discussions with Kurdish leaders. In Najaf, Francis met Shia Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani and issued a joint statement condemning religious extremism. Before he went to Mosul, a plot was discovered to assassinate Francis and its perpetrators were killed. Once Donald Trump returned to the White House, Pope Francis condemned his policy of deporting migrants and asylum seekers. In a letter he wrote to US bishops, he said, 'The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defencelessness.' After Israel mounted its Gaza war in October 2023, Pope Francis spoke every evening with priest Gabriel Romanelli of the Holy Family Catholic church in the Strip. Francis also met with families of Palestinians and Israeli captives caught up in the Gaza war. In September 2024, Pope Francis called Israel's war in Gaza 'disproportionate' and 'immoral.' In November, he said, 'We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition [of genocide] formulated by jurists and international bodies.' It is bitterly ironic that Donald Trump and Joe Biden should attend Francis' funeral as they provided Israel with the 900-kilogramme bombs and other weapons to wage their deadly and destructive war on Gaza which has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians. While sick and suffering, Pope Francis stood on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on Easter Sunday, while a colleague read his final statement calling for an end to the 'terrible conflict' in Gaza that causes 'death and destruction' and a 'dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation.' He urged the release of hostages and aid for 'starving' Palestinians who want nothing but a peaceful future. Early the next morning, Francis died of a stroke and heart failure.
