The 48th scriptural meeting of the Interreligious Forum Dialogue & Alliance was held on September 28, 2025. As part of the annual theme "weaving peace in everyday life", this session was devoted to "fraternity", a universal value and the foundation of interreligious dialogue. The moderator was Dr. Laurent Ladouce, researcher at the Universal Peace Federation.
Dr. Laurent Ladouce first outlined the Federation's five great universal principles: fraternity, spirituality, family, altruism, and cooperation. Then, various speakers read and commented on texts from their spiritual traditions on the first theme: fraternity.
Testimonies and interventions
- Dominique & Mariama Guillard-Sall (Catholic and Muslim) : The couple shared their interfaith journey. Dominique emphasized that fraternity with one's neighbor is guided by the awareness that the Kingdom of God resides within each of us. Mariama discussed the challenges posed by cultural and religious differences. She emphasized the importance of listening, patience, and mutual acceptance. She reread the Quranic verses inviting us to know each other and compete in good works.
Photos 2 and 3: Dominique & Mariama Guillard-Sall
- A short musical break was offered to us by a choir from the Universal White Brotherhood.
- Marie-Ginette Rheault-Lichère ( Universal White Brotherhood ) presented brotherhood as a state of consciousness and an art of living that transcends religious boundaries. According to the teachings of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, it involves inner work aimed at developing harmony, love, and peace.
- Sylvie Badets (Secular Franciscan Fraternity) recalled the example of Saint Francis of Assisi and described the fraternal life of her order as a path of learning made up of prayer, sharing, listening and interior conversion.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session and on a warm note, with thanks to the speakers and participants, present in the room and online. The organizers recalled that fraternity, experienced in the family, in interreligious dialogue, or within spiritual communities, constitutes a demanding but essential path to building lasting peace.