Muslim Council of Elders Participates in Inauguration Ceremony of Pope Leo XIV as Head of the Catholic Church
The Muslim Council of Elders participated in the official inauguration ceremony of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV as Head of the Catholic Church, which took place on Sunday in Saint Peter’s Square at Vatican City.
On behalf of His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, His Excellency Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, attended the inauguration. During the ceremony, he conveyed the Council’s heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of his formal inauguration as the 267th Pontiff of the Catholic Church.
Judge Abdelsalam noted that the messages conveyed by Pope Leo XIV since his election on 8 May reflect his strong commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue and continuing the path of fraternity and coexistence. This was clearly evident in the Pope’s first audience with the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders last Monday—marking the first Islamic delegation received by the Pontiff following his election—as well as in the telephone call that took place between His Holiness and His Eminence Professor Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders. During that call, the world’s two foremost religious leaders affirmed their shared resolve to work together in advancing the values of peace, fraternity, and coexistence; defending the rights of the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed; and striving to end the many conflicts and crises facing our world today—particularly in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and elsewhere.
The ceremony took place in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, marking the official inauguration of Pope Leo XIV as the successor to the late Pope Francis, who left behind a profound humanitarian legacy, crowned by the signing of the historic Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Widely regarded as one of the most important declarations in modern history, the Document calls for the promotion of dialogue, tolerance, coexistence, and human fraternity among all people, regardless of their differences and diversity.