الإمام الأكبر أ.د/ أحمد الطيب، شيخ الأزهر الشريف ينعي بأربع لغات البابا فرنسيس بابا الكنيسة الكاثولوكيّة، “الصديق العزيز ورمز الإنسانيّةالذي وافته المنية بعد رحلة حياةٍ حافلةٍ بالعمل من أجل الإنسانيّة، ودعم قضايا المهمّشين والمحتاجين والمضطهدين، ودفع مسيرة الحوار بين الأديان والثقافات المختلفة. وأكد شيخ الأزهر قائلاً: “فقد العالم اليوم رمزًا إنسانيًّا من طرازٍ رفيع، الصديق العزيز قداسة البابا فرنسيس، بابا الكنيسة الكاثوليكيّة، الذي سخَّر حياته لخدمة الإنسانّية، ومناصرة قضايا الضعفاء واللاجئين والمظلومين، ودعم الحوار والتفاهم بين الأديان والثقافات المختلفة، كان مُحبًّا للمسلمين، مُخلصًا في نشر السلام، ويُذكَر له أن آخر تصريحاته كانت للدفاع عن فلسطين وأهل غزّة المضطهدين، وقد أسهمت جهوده في دفع جهود الحوار الإسلاميّ- المسيحيّ، حتّى وقَّعنا وثيقة الأخوَّة الإنسانيّة التاريخيّة عام ٢٠١٩. خالص عزائي إلى أسرة فقيد الإنسانيّة البابا فرنسيس، وإلى أتباع الكنيسة الكاثوليكيّة حول العالم”.
“We all belong to God, and to Him, we shall return.” (The Holy Qur’an 2:156)
With a heavy heart and deep sorrow, we received the news of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was a man of God, a great leader of the Roman Catholic Church, a brother to fellow religious leaders, and a father to all—especially the deprived and the oppressed.
The world has lost a luminous soul and a tireless advocate for universal fraternity, peace, and justice. Pope Francis embodied a rare depth of compassion and an unwavering commitment to human dignity and fellowship. His gentle yet resolute voice resonated across faiths, cultures, and nations, reminding us of our shared responsibility to care for one another and to protect the most vulnerable.He was one of the living treasures of our time, whose presence gave us a deep sense of hope, purpose, and continuity. He reminded us that faith is inseparable from benevolence, and that wisdom flourishes only through humility and respect for others. He was a man of prayer who firmly believed in the value of prayers offered by people of all faiths.
Pope Francis taught us, in both words and actions, that bridges are stronger than walls and that the human spirit thrives in unity, not division. His historic visit to the holy city of Najaf and his meeting with His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sistani “did good to his soul” and to all of ours. That moment, in a time of great challenge, marked a turning point. We pray for the day when such meetings are no longer extraordinary, but rather natural and frequent, where Popes, Grand Ayatollahs, and other faith leaders come together regularly and work closely in response to God and service of humanity.
To my dear Catholic brothers and sisters, I and other Shi‘a members of Catholic-Shi’a dialogue, Wings of Unity and our interaith network offer our heartfelt condolences. We grieve together, sharing the sorrow of this loss. Yet we remain grateful for the gift we received in Pope Francis and hopeful that his vision of a world rooted in understanding and love will endure, and that his successor will carry forward this noble path.
May his soul find eternal peace, and may his example continue to guide us toward a brighter and more compassionate future.
ننقل لكم كلمة البابا فرنسيس ، أمام جمهور من المشاركين في مؤتمر بين الأديان نظّمته مجموعة الفوكولاري خلال مؤتمر في يونيو ٢٠٢٤…
“(…)I express my gratitude for the perseverance with which the Focolari continues the journey begun by Chiara Lubich, fostering unity with people of non-Christian religions who share the spirituality of unity. This was a revolutionary journey that did much good for the Church. It is an experience animated by the Holy Spirit, rooted, we can say, in the heart of Christ, in his thirst for love, communion and fraternity.
Indeed, it is the Spirit who opens paths of dialogue and encounter, at times surprising ones. This happened more than fifty years ago in Algeria, when an all-Muslim community adhering to the Movement was born. It also happened with Chiara Lubich’s meetings with leaders of various religions: Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, and others. This dialogue has flourished over time, as evidenced by your presence today.
The foundation of this experience is the love of God expressed through mutual love, listening, trust, hospitality and getting to know one another, all the while fully respecting each other’s identities. Over time, friendship and cooperation have grown in seeking to respond together to the cry of the poor, in caring for creation and in working for peace. Through this journey, some non-Christian brothers and sisters have shared in the spirituality of the Work of Mary, or in some of its characteristic traits, and live according to them amongst their own people. With these men and women, we transcend dialogue, we feel like brothers and sisters, sharing the dream of a more united world, in the harmony of diversity.
Dear friends, your witness is a source of joy and a source of consolation, especially in this time of conflict, when religion is often misused in order to fuel division. Indeed, interreligious dialogue “is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities” (Evangelii Gaudium, 250). I encourage you, then, to move forward and always be open”.
إعداد ريما السيقلي
