World Peace Association Supports World Day of Prayer for Humanity
The World Peace Association (WPA) believes that interfaith harmony is the cornerstone of world peace. That’s why WPA fully supports the World Day of Prayer for Humanity, to be observed on May 14.
The World Day of Prayer for Humanity is an interfaith day of prayer, fasting, and acts of charity, for the end of the coronavirus pandemic that has been plaguing the entire world.
The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF) has organized the event, calling on people of all religious faiths to participate. The Committee itself was formed in August, under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican.
Pope Francis accepted the committee’s proposal, and other religious leaders around the world have also endorsed the world day of prayer, including the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb and the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Guterres tweeted his support on May 3, saying “In difficult times, we must stand together for peace, humanity & solidarity.”
“The overwhelming response with this call for prayer from leaders and peoples around the world is a true testament to human solidarity and grants us hope in achieving global unity based on human fraternity principles for the safety, security and health of all mankind,” said Secretary-General of the Committee, Judge Mohamed Abdel Salam.
The Personal Secretary of His Holiness Pope Francis and a member of the Committee, Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, also added that, “As we await a cure that would spare humanity from this deadly pandemic, our only hope is that God Almighty will save the millions suffering around the world, and help scientists and researchers to succeed in finding the eagerly-awaited cure.”
The Committee (HCHF) is an independent body of religious leaders, educational scholars and cultural figures from across the world, dedicated to achieving the noble goals of the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, during the Pope’s Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates in February 2019, under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.