In February 2019 Pope Francis visited Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where he met with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque. This was the first time a head of the Catholic Church had visited the Arabian Peninsula. At the end of the visit, the two men signed a joint statement – a ‘Document on human fraternity for world peace and living together.’
The Document is intended to provide a guide to advance ‘a culture of mutual respect’ and tolerance between adherents of the two religions. In it they call on world leaders to: ‘rediscover the values of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence in order to confirm the importance of these values as anchors of salvation for all, and to promote them everywhere.’