"We are all different yet equal, as this pandemic has plainly demonstrated," Pope Francis stated.

After an Interreligious conference at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis receives Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar. The Vatican issued a statement from President Joe Biden commemorating the United Nations designated International Day of Human Fraternity, which is inspired by a landmark document signed on Feb. 4, 2019, in Abu Dhabi by Francis and Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb, the imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar centre for Sunni learning. (Andrew Medichini/AP Photo)

ROME, Italy (AP) – On the second anniversary of a major Christian-Muslim peace project, US President Joe Biden joined Pope Francis and a top Sunni imam in asking for stronger global cooperation to combat the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, and other global issues.

The Vatican issued a statement from Biden commemorating the United Nations designated International Day of Human Fraternity, which is inspired by a momentous treaty signed on Feb. 4, 2019, in Abu Dhabi by Francis and Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb, the imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar centre for Sunni learning.

To address the world's issues, the declaration advocated for more mutual understanding and unity. The effort has gone on to create a high-level commission to spread the message, with the support of the United Arab Emirates, and Friday's anniversary celebration included a video message from Francis that was also translated into Hebrew.

"For far too long, the constricted notion that our shared prosperity is a zero-sum game has festered — the view that for one person to flourish, another must fail," Biden said in his statement. He claimed that such a viewpoint had resulted in wars and crises that are now too large for a single nation or people to resolve.

"They demand that we engage in open discourse with one another in order to promote tolerance, acceptance, and understanding," he stated.

In October, Biden, a devout Catholic, met Pope Francis for a lengthy audience during which they discussed climate change, poverty, and the epidemic.

"Regardless of where and how we live, the colour of our skin, religion, social group, sex, age, economic circumstances, or state of health, we all dwell under the same heaven." "We are all different yet equal, as this pandemic has demonstrated," Francis wrote in his address.

El-Tayyib, for one, sent a note to Francis, calling him "my dear brother" and "the continuously courageous companion on the path of fraternity and peace."

"We've set out on this journey with the goal of creating a new world devoid of wars and conflicts, where the anxious are reassured, the impoverished are supported, the vulnerable are protected, and justice is served," he said.

While such goals are "undesirable for warmongers," he claims that "the road to peace is predestined for all God's believers."