In the name of the one God the Subduer, The Ever Living One who never dies, the Creator of the heavens and Earth, the God of Adam and his mankind, the God of Ibrahim and his Monotheism, the God of Moses and his Torah, the God of Jesus and His Bible, the God of Mohammed and his Quran, we make no distinction between any of his messengers. I greet you with the Greeting of Islam, Assalam Alekom wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatu (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon you all).

I bring to you the heartiest greetings of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, HH Sheikh Mohammed

bin Zayed, and the people and government of the UAE.

The people of the UAE have welcomed His Holiness Pope Francis with joy and happiness last February during his landmark historical visit to the UAE, the first to the region, to an Arab and Muslim country that its leadership endeavors to make it the most active pursuer of peaceful coexistence, spreading tolerance, love and the sense of security.

The core values of tolerance were fostered in the UAE, thanks to the wisdom of His Highness the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE, who visited the Vatican in 1951. Our current wise leadership continued the journey that made the UAE a global beacon of tolerance.

Different religions don’t pose a challenge, instead they are a source of strength and complementarity, especially when led by wise advocates of good, peace and love. As such, the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities is equally as important as any other global security, economic and military alliances.

The growing sexual exploitation and abuse of children has become a shocking fact for the future of humanity. It is an unethical and harmful issue that goes against any religious and moral value system. However, we have high hopes that, by joining forces with global institutions and digital technology companies, we will be able to protect and maintain childrens' dignity globally.

As believers, what unites us is far greater than what divides us. All religious denominations around the world call for cooperation, good deeds and respect for life, and prohibit us from helping the evil and the malicious.

 I would like to heartily thank His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, for their historic achievement, by signing the joint ‘Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together’ in Abu Dhabi, as a global reference for all believers in God and lovers of humanity.