ROME – World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder will address a conference organized by the WJC on Human Fraternity: A Jewish Reflection for Common Coexistence on Friday (8 November) at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. H.E. Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for the Interreligious Dialogue, and Father Nuno da Silva Gonçalves SJ, Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, will also deliver remarks at the conference.
The initiative for this conference was born following the co-signing of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in February 2019 in Abu Dhabi, which can be viewed here,
“The recent rise in incitement and violence against Jews and members of other religious communities and minorities underscores for us just how essential interfaith dialogue and cooperation are in progressing toward our vision of a more peaceful and secure world for all peoples,” WJC President Lauder said, in advance of the conference.
“I deeply appreciate the relationships I have been so fortunate to build with representatives of the Catholic Church, chief among them Pope Francis and Cardinal Ayuso, and sincerely admire the efforts that they are making on a daily basis to ensure that coexistence remains an achievable goal,” WJC President Lauder said. “Antisemitism and xenophobia are not just problems facing the targeted victims. These are obstacles that we must confront and overcome together.”
Participants at the conference will include representatives of the Catholic clergy, members of Jewish communities and Jewish youth movements, and the rectors of additional pontifical universities and faculties.
The meetings are open to the press. All journalists who wish to register should RSVP to press@worldjewishcongress.org by Thursday November 7.