United Nations diplomats and other guests gather for a prayer service Sept. 16, at Holy Family Church in New York City. The service, hosted by the Vaticans Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N., was held on the eve of the opening of the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly. (Gregory A. Shemitz/CNS)

NEW YORK (CNS) Bishop PaulHinder, apostolic vicar of Southern Arabia, told U.N. diplomats and other attendeesat a New York prayer service Sept. 16 that all of humanity is bound by a basicfraternity grounded in the God Who has created us.

This understanding is at theheart of what he called an extraordinary declaration signed in February by PopeFrancis and Egyptian Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, a leadingauthority for many Sunni Muslims.

Bishop Hinder was talking about the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed by the two religious leaders in the United Arab Emirates Feb. 4. It rejects violence and terrorism and promotes identity, dialogue and harmony.

The declaration is an appeal toall people of goodwill to put aside particular and egotistic interests, be theyindividual, national or continental, to break down the walls in our minds andto cross the borders in order to promote and build up justice and peace, thebishop said.

He made the remarks during aservice on the eve of the opening of the 74th session of the U.N. GeneralAssembly. Held at Holy Family Church in New York City, it was hosted by theVaticans Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N. and led by ArchbishopBernardito Auza, the Vaticans U.N. nuncio.

U.N. officials in attendanceincluded U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Tijjani Muhammed-Bande,president of the General Assemblys 74th session.

The document signed by the popeand the grand imam points at certain urgent topics which can be addressed onlyif religions are doing their duty properly and if the respective societies, theirgovernments and the international community as a whole are working together,Bishop Hinder said.

He told the U.N. diplomats: Thisis where your own deliberations in the coming days must lead: in makingprovisions for protecting the family as the fundamental nucleus of society andhumanity; providing right education for children, avoiding everything thatcould lead people to extremism and violence.

The document also says, henoted: We resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes,hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding ofblood.

Bishop Hinder highlightedseveral principals in the document, including its insistence that to guaranteeequality of rights and duties, it is crucial to establish in our societies theconcept of full citizenship and reject the discriminatory use of the term minorities.

The East and West have to finda convergence of mutual collaboration on the basis of their complementaryvalues, he said, quoting the document.

The rights of women, of thefamilies and of the elderly people have to be further developed and respected,he added.

Bishop Hinder said he has seenthe document begin to bear fruit in the region where he has served for 15years, but there is still a long way to go.

I simply wish to mention thedisastrous war in Yemen, where millions of people are longing for justice andpeace. Who will have the courage to break the vicious circle of violence? headded.

He ended his reflection byinvoking the words of one of the Catholic Churchs great peacemakers: On thisvigil of the opening of the assembly, let us make a humble, joint and earnestprayer to the Father of the universe in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi: Makeme an instrument of your peace!

The previous week, Archbishop Auzareferenced the document when saying that religion can make an importantcontribution to forming a culture of peace, both to empower and transformindividuals and humanity as a whole, Sept. 13 at a high-level U.N. forum on TheCulture of Peace.

It seems vital to underline the valuable role ofreligion not the distorted forms of religious fanaticism or sectarianismwhich all too often make the headlines, but rather authentic religious beliefand teaching in promoting a culture of peace, said Archbishop BernarditoAuza, who heads the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UnitedNations.

Archbishop Auza said thisdocument is based on the firm conviction that authentic teachings of religionsinvite us to remain rooted in the values of peace; to defend the values ofmutual understanding, human fraternity and harmonious coexistence; toreestablish wisdom, justice and love.

It also understands the need toreawaken religious awareness among young people so that future generations maybe protected from the realm of materialistic thinking and from dangerouspolicies of unbridled greed and indifference that are based on the law of forceand not on the force of law, he added.

Archbishop Auza noted that everyday at U.N. headquarters, visitors stop and admire the Rockwell Mosaic thatbrings together, through color and symbolism, the diversity of the humanfamily, expressed there through distinctive signs of different religioustraditions.

Above all, he continued, thatwork of art seeks to highlight that fundamental ethical truth that continues toresonate in the hearts of all men and women of goodwill, which is oftenreferred to as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do toyou.

He suggested his listeners toconsider what would happen if that statement were turned around.

If it read, Do not do untoothers what you would not want them to do unto you, he said, then, perhapsattitudes would begin to change.

Our selfish tendencies wouldgive way and we would take a serious look at our choices and behavior with arenewed commitment to take greater care of this planet, our common home, and,more importantly, of all who live there, Archbishop Auza said.

He added: Akin to land that is patiently worked andcultivated, for peace to take root, to grow and indeed to flourish, it demandscommitment and unceasing effort: a truly noble and sacred task that is withinthe reach of us all.

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Church leaders, diplomats come together to pray for work of United Nations - The Catholic Sun