His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, received Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, in Vatican City. His Holiness reaffirmed the importance of continuing interfaith and intercultural dialogue to advance peace and coexistence. The Pope expressed appreciation for the role of the Muslim Council of Elders in this regard.  

For his part, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, expressed appreciation on behalf of the Council and its Chairman – Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif –for Pope Francis’ efforts in consolidating fraternity and coexistence, as well as His Holiness’ continued calls for advancing peace and the culture of encounter among all people. 

Judge Abdelsalam highlighted the upcoming visit of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to the Kingdom of Bahrain in early November and their participation in the Bahrain Dialogue Forum as constituting a new milestone on their journey of human fraternity, which has attracted the attention of the world following their co-signing of the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity on February 4, 2019. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders presented His Holiness with the council’s trophy featuring the three-word slogan of the Muslim Council of Elders, “Tolerance, Coexistence, and Human Fraternity,” engraved in Arabic calligraphy. The Pope congratulated Judge Abdelsalam on his role and wished him good luck. 

The Muslim Council of Elders is an international, independent organization that seeks to promote peace within Muslim and non-Muslim communities and to advance the values of dialogue, coexistence, and human fraternity worldwide. Its board members are a globally recognized group of wise Muslim scholars known for their knowledge and moderate approach. It is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

The Muslim Council of Elders will participate in the “Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence” in partnership with the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence