Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received Mr. Antonio Patriota, the Brazilian Ambassador to Egypt.

During their meeting, the Grand Imam said, “The noble message of Al-Azhar is based on coexistence among the followers of religions, and we have made a great effort to achieve it, as we established the Egyptian Family House, which is a model to be followed in achieving coexistence among the Egyptians. We have also organized many conferences calling for coexistence including the Freedom and Citizenship Conference, organized by Al-Azhar two years ago, to call for the consolidation of the principle of citizenship and coexistence.

His Eminence added that Al-Azhar's efforts to promote world peace have continued through strengthening relations between Al-Azhar and the world churches, notably with the Church of Canterbury and the World Council of Churches. This effort has culminated in a meeting with Pope Francis, which prompted us to think of issuing the Human Fraternity Document, as a guide for resolving many of the crises of the contemporary world. The HFD is a historical document that was well received by many, and praised by the United Nations, which is currently studying declaring the fourth of February as the International Day of Human Fraternity.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian Ambassador expressed his great appreciation of Al-Azhar and the efforts made by the Grand Imam to consolidate tolerance and world peace, pointing to his country’s keenness to strengthen its relations with Al-Azhar, as it is the oldest moderate Islamic institution in the world.