About the Human Fraternity Dialogues
How can we build solidarity in a divided world? What can young people do to advance the common good across religious, national, racial, and political lines? Taking the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb in 2019 as a point of departure, the Human Fraternity Dialogues are an opportunity for students at colleges and universities around the world to address these questions in dynamic virtual conversations with their global peers.
The Human Fraternity Dialogues ran during the spring 2023 semester and assembled 109 students from around the globe, representing a vibrant spectrum of religious affiliations and cultural backgrounds. Students who participated in at least one dialogue are eligible to apply for the Human Fraternity Fellows Program, which will bring a select group of 15 to 20 young people together for a study tour in the United Arab Emirates in February 2024.
The Human Fraternity Dialogues are jointly sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, and the Muslim Council of Elders, and they build upon the “Building Interreligious Solidarity” global student conference held at Georgetown University in September 2022.
Learn more about the program’s origins and features below.
Program Origins
As we emerge out of the COVID-19 pandemic into a deeply divided world, we have an historic obligation and opportunity to strengthen intercultural and interfaith dialogue in the service of justice and peace. The Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Al-Tayeb in February 2019—one year before the COVID-19 outbreak—represents a strong foundation for such an effort. Meeting in Abu Dhabi, these two leading representatives of Christianity and Islam expressed far-reaching consensus around global economic, social, political, and environmental challenges facing our world. They proposed dialogue and collaboration, across religious, national, and other divides, as the best way to advance a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world. The United Nations has officially proclaimed February 4, the day the document was signed, as the International Day of Human Fraternity.
Program Details
The Human Fraternity Dialogues virtually convened students around the world for 90-minute conversations (in English) to share their impressions of the Document on Human Fraternity, discuss its relevance to their local contexts and campus communities, and generate creative ideas for advancing intercultural and interreligious solidarity in practice.
The dialogues took place during the spring semester of 2023.
Students who participated in at least one Human Fraternity Dialogue are eligible to apply for the Human Fraternity Fellows Program that will launch in the 2023–2024 academic year. The fellows program will include deeper virtual conversations with one another in October, November, December, and January 2023; attending a one-week study tour and additional in-person dialogues in the United Arab Emirates in early February 2024; and developing a solidarity solutions guide for students, as well as writing a reflective essay about their experiences for publication on the project website.
Dr. Thomas Banchoff, Berkley Center director and vice president for global engagement at Georgetown University, is directing the project with support from Dr. Ryann Craig, Berkley Center director of student programs, and Nick Scrimenti, Berkley Center project associate. Please direct questions and suggestions about the project to Ryann.Craig@georgetown.edu.
Leaders
Director
Department of Government and Walsh School of Foreign Service, Vice President for Global Engagement
