Mohamed discusses bilateral ties, humanitarian causes with Pope

Vatican City / WAM

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Thursday discussed with His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Catholic Church, ways to strengthen bilateral relations and develop them in the service of humanitarian causes that promote peace and coexistence between different peoples and regions of the world.
The discussions came during an official meeting between His Highness Sheikh Mohamed and Pope Francis at Vatican City, following an official welcoming ceremony. His Holiness the Pope welcomed His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to the Vatican City and highlighted the importance of the visit with its objective of establishing mutual cooperation and exchanging views on issues of mutual concern.
His Holiness congratulated His Highness and the accompanying delegation on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha and conveyed his greetings to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the occasion. On his part, Sheikh Mohamed expressed great appreciation for the Pope’s noble sentiments and generous reception.
He conveyed the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his appreciation for the Pope’s role in working towards peace, love and solidarity between the peoples of the world.
H.H. Sheikh Mohamed, who was accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, emphasised the importance of strengthening ties and enhancing dialogue between the UAE and the Vatican as fundamental to addressing the challenges the world faces today. He stressed that today, more than ever, there is a need to build bridges of collaboration and dialogue between different cultures and religions, standing in solidarity against those who promote religious strife, sectarianism, racism and intolerance, thereby threatening the security and stability of the world.
He expressed great appreciation for the role the Vatican has played in enhancing dialogue between civilisations, its humanitarian efforts and its efforts to enhance inter-religious dialogue. He made particular mention of the most recent dialogue between Al-Azhar and the Vatican, which culminated in an announcement to hold a global peace conference and a commitment to working together to combat poverty, extremism and terrorism. He added that such an initiative reinforces the culture of forgiveness, coexistence and confirms that the world stands united against terrorism and extremism. He further emphasised that a dialogue between the world’s most prominent religious institutions sends a clear signal of peace to the world.
For his part, Pope Francis praised the UAE’s efforts to promote tolerance, dialogue and coexistence between different people and cultures of the world. He congratulated the UAE for its ongoing humanitarian and philanthropic initiatives focused on education and healthcare and its role in promoting and supporting sustainable development around the world, through the adoption and deploying of sustainable sources of energy and by supporting countries and communities in need.
He expressed confidence that the meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed will enhance joint collaboration that will benefit humanity and uphold the values and principles of inter-faith coexistence, tolerance, peace and the empowerment of social and sustainable development.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed and the Pope exchanged gifts. His Highness presented His Holiness Pope Francis with a photo book of the archeological findings on Sir Bani Yas Island, an island designated as a natural reserve in in 1977 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The book included information on different archeological discoveries on the island, including the landmark historic church and monastery dating back to the 7th and 8th century AD, demonstrating the clear spirit of religious tolerance and coexistence that prevailed in the region historically.
His Highness also presented the Pope with the Carpet of Peace, produced through an initiative launched by Sheikha Fatima bint Mohamed bin Zayed. The initiative aims to support women in rural areas of Afghanistan, empowering them with the means to integrate into the workforce within the Afghani culture.
H.H. Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by members of his official delegation, including Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Dr. Hessa Al Otaiba, UAE Non-Resident Ambassador to the Vatican.

 

Crown Prince, Vatican Secretary of State witness signing of MoU

vatican city / WAM

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on the mutual exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and special passports of the United Arab Emirates and the Vatican. The signing of the agreement is part of the visit to the Vatican by H.H. Sheikh Mohamed. The MoU was signed on behalf of the UAE by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, while Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, signed on behalf of the Vatican.
The signing ceremony was attended by members of the UAE delegation, including Reem Al Hashemi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, and Dr. Hessa Al Otaiba, the UAE Non-Resident Ambassador to the Vatican.

‘Pope, UAE build bridges to take on ideology of hate and terror’

Vatican City / WAM

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has said that the meeting between His Holiness Pope Francis and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, comes at a time when constructive dialogue between people of all faiths is of paramount importance.
In an OpEd posted on CNN.com today, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah said that it is critical to take every opportunity to show a united front against all forms of intolerance.
Here are excerpts from H.H. Sheikh Abdullah’s article:
“When His Holiness Pope Francis received His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates, it was the highest-level official delegation from the Gulf state ever to visit the Vatican, and comes at a time when constructive dialogue between people of all faiths is of paramount importance.
It is critical to take every opportunity to show a united front against all forms of intolerance. Pope Francis has reached out to faith leaders of all religions to reject extremism wherever it occurs. The UAE is proud to stand with him. We believe that the ideology and actions of extremists do not represent the core ethos of Islam and must be loudly denounced on that basis. Above all this is a battle for hearts and minds.
In their sophisticated use of digital and social media to glorify murder and destruction, groups such as Daesh – to use the Arabic term for ISIS – continue to lure young people from all over the world into their ranks.
We must use every tool available to us to defeat their nihilist ideology of hatred. In this endeavour, the UAE has acted in collaboration with friends, who share our values. That’s why, in partnership with the United States, the UAE established the Sawab Centre in Abu Dhabi, an organisation specifically tasked with countering violence and extremism on digital platforms and through social media campaigns.
The centre has already made some significant inroads in targeting young people with messages that counter Daesh propaganda and reveal its true criminal nature and intent. One of its most recent campaigns, #deludedfollowers, effectively exposed the cynical tactics and psychological manipulations that Daesh employs, such as the portrayal of its campaign of terror as a holy cause.
While confronting extremists in the digital arena is an essential component of the broader fight, there are other methods that we must use to target at risk groups. Our experience in this goes back to 2011, when the UAE hosted the foundation of the first international centre for countering extremism, known as Hedayah. Supported by the 30 member states that make up the Global Counterterrorism Forum, GCTF, Hedayah is devoted to researching the root causes of terrorism and formulating effective community-based programmes focused on young and low-income groups. For instance, Hedayah has recently worked with Nigerian teachers to construct curricula emphasising critical thinking that guides young people away from Boko Haram.

 

Vatican City / WAM

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said that consolidating efforts for peace, security, stability and development in the world is one of the UAE’s main objectives. It stems, he said, from its core belief that achieving peace and security is a prerequisite for reaching comprehensive and sustainable development for all the people of the world.
Speaking on the occasion of his visit to the Vatican on Thursday, HH Sheikh Mohamed said that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, does not hesitate to participate actively with the international community in all that is pertinent to achieving security, stability and development, as well as in promoting the values of peace, coexistence and justice in different parts of the world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed also expressed his pleasure at his visit to Vatican City and the discussions with Pope Francis. “We are working together on promoting and enabling, in order for peace and stability to prevail throughout the world,” HH Sheikh Mohamed said.
He added that the tendency for militancy and extremism, which the world has recently witnessed, is in part due to the absence of a culture of coexistence, dialogue and acceptance of others. There is, he said, an urgent need to strengthen cooperation between all countries and regional, international, and UN organisations, in order to formulate strategies that promote constructive dialogue between cultures, respect for different beliefs and religions, and spread the culture of peace, as well as to address attempts at religious defamation and the incitement of values of religious hatred.
Within this framework, HH Sheikh Mohamed said, the United Arab Emirates will spare no effort in working to build the foundations of dialogue and coexistence among different civilisations, cultures, religions and peoples, based on the values of tolerance and openness, and far from any tendencies towards confrontation, extremism, intolerance and violence.
The UAE, he added, also stresses the need to develop international legislation to protect the sanctity of religions from abusers and conspirators who work to provoke tension and hostility between followers of different faiths.
HH Sheikh Mohamed went on to say that the UAE has been able to create a model for coexistence among more than the 200 nationalities who live on its land with a spirit of love, harmony and understanding, despite differences of culture, race, and religion.

It is this umbrella of safe coexistence, he said, which allows all to co-exist and worship freely. He noted that the law against hate crime and discrimination, which was issued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa last year, reinforces this concept. The law, he pointed out, includes clauses that ensure equality amongst different members of the community, and criminalises discrimination between individuals or groups that is based on religion, creed, doctrine, denomination, sect, race, or colour between individuals or groups.
The law is also significant, he concluded, in the struggle against the incitement of hate speech and against the practice of ‘takfir’ (a term to describe the designation of others as apostates).
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said that the UAE appreciates the efforts undertaken by His Holiness Pope Francis to confront the ideas of intolerance, extremism and violence as well as attempts to defile places of religious sanctity. He also praised the continuous initiatives of Pope Francis to deal with various challenges and crisis facing the world, such as poverty, ignorance, violence and the culture of hatred, these being inseparable from worsening intolerance and extremism. These also represent a major priority for the UAE, he said.
He added that the UAE is working to address these challenges effectively, through a comprehensive strategy based on the promotion of the values of tolerance, moderation and acceptance of others and through humanitarian initiatives and projects to provide assistance to those in need in underprivileged areas and other areas experiencing armed conflict or exposed to natural disasters, with the objective of helping the development of these areas and ridding them of their crises and problems.
This grows, he said, out of the UAE’s belief that these kinds of crises represent one of the most important sources of threats to global stability, creating fertile environments for the growth of extremism, violence and the ideas of terrorism.
H.H. Sheikh Mohamed noted that Islam is a religion of tolerance and moderation, which calls for peace, dialogue and cooperation between human beings, adding that bloody terrorist groups that claim to speak in the name of Islam are deviant groups, far from away from a proper approach to religion, the Sharia and the correct teachings of Islam.
The UAE, he said, confronts such groups with a comprehensive vision, whether by active engagement in any international or regional moves to confront them, or by enhancing efforts to refute the ideas of these terrorist groups.