Religions at the Service of Fraternity in our World

January 28, 2021- 4 to 5:30 pm

“Dialogue between the followers of different religions does not take place simply for the sake of diplomacy, consideration or tolerance…. ‘The goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love.’” (Fratelli Tutti, 271/259). 

The Office for Interreligious Dialogue, Archdiocese of Toronto, Dominican Institute of Toronto, University of St. Michael’s College and National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee collaborated and hosted an online panel discussion on January 28, 2021 on the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. The theme of the panel discussion was, “Religions at the Service of Fraternity in our World,” inspired by Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti.” 

The purpose of the forum was to highlight some of the important features of this encyclical titled, “‘Fratelli Tutti - All are brothers and sisters’ or ‘On Fraternity and Social Friendship’.” 

Pope Francis signed the encyclical at the tomb of St. Francis on the 3^rd of October, 2020 and released it on the feast day of St. Francis on 4^th October, 2020. The phrase, ‘Fratelli Tutti’, is taken from the Admonitions of Saint Francis of Assisi, in which Saint Francis “calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother ‘as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him’.” (FT, 1).

The panelists who led the discussion were Mr. Muneeb Nasir (National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee), Ms. Dania Ahmed (IYAM), Ms. Azeezah Kanji (Noor Cultural Centre), Imam Syed Muhammed Rizvi (Jaffari Community Centre), Fr. Darren Dias, OP (University of St. Michael’s College), all who coherently elaborated on the topic “Religions at the Service of Fraternity in our World”, with some very practical examples from our day to day life. 

The program began with the moderator, Fr. Anthony Prakash Lohale, OP,  introducing the panelists and warmly welcoming the participants and this was followed by an opening prayer by Mr. Muneeb Nasir. 

Fr. Darren Dias, OP opened the discussion with an explanation of what an encyclical means and presented an overview of the document. He mentioned that the 8-chapter encyclical is the third one issued by Pope Francis - each chapter covers various problems faced by the world and Pope Francis sees religions as part of the solution to these issues.

Fr. Dias stated that this encyclical has a special connection with the document,  “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” which was signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al- Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb on February 4, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

He mentioned that authentic religions have great wisdom to deal with the problems of the world and that religions and religious leaders can play a significant role in creating peace and harmony and fostering fruitful relations among communities.

Fr. Dias pointed out that Pope Francis has a dream that religions can offer solutions for many of the world’s problems because religions believe in equality and social justice. He further elaborated that Pope Francis sees that religions together can create a concept of a single human family and this can only happen when religious leaders are ready to dialogue and create a culture of friendly encounter - this will help the world to come out of isolation and individualism.

The second speaker, Ms. Azeezah Kanji, began her presentation by mentioning three unfortunate events - the Shoah, the shooting in the Quebec City mosque and the atrocities done to the Indigenous people in Canada and around the world. She also talked about the injustices done by the colonial powers around the World. Ms. Kanji mentioned examples where Prophet Muhammad ensured the wellbeing of Christians in the Muslim society and the covenant signed between the Prophet and the Christian leaders. She agreed that religions can play a greater role in bringing peace and harmony in the world once followers  truly practice what they preach. 

Mr. Muneeb Nasir quoted the parable of Good Samaritan referenced in the encyclical and he said that Pope Francis is asking us to not just lament about the ills of the world but, like the Good Samaritan, ‘see things right.’ He stressed that religious leaders can play a positive role in the society and build bridges among various segments of the society by jointly raising our voices for equality and social justice in our society and around the world. He mentioned that we need to see things positively and try our best to eliminate negative behaviors from the communities. He also talked about mutual respect and the code of conduct which was also discussed by Pope Francis and Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb in 2019. 

Ms. Dania Ahmed talked about creating intimate bonds in our communities and mentioned that this encyclical prompts the leaders to create an environment of social friendship. She also agreed with many of the points raised by other panelists, stressing that self-realisation and self-reflection of our own deeds can motivate us to develop an environment of care and love. She added that  love and care will bring unity and solidarity in the society and help us to fight against individualism. 

Imam Syed Muhammed Rizvi shared that it is very important that religious leaders and religions should try to bring change within themselves and raise their voices against the atrocities done by the majority of believers to their less fortunate segments of the society. 

The panel discussion concluded with the question and answer session moderated by Daniel Niamat. Fr. Darren Dias formally thanked all the panelists and the participants and the session was closed by Ms. Kathy Murtha, from Mary Ward Center, with a prayer to the Creator taken from the end of the encyclical.

Lord, Father of our human family, you created all human beings equal in dignity: pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter, dialogue, justice and peace. Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war.  May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects, and shared dreams. Amen.