The Pope is considering a visit to St Andrews

As part of the Year of Interfaith Dialogue, Pope Francis has been invited to St Andrews to sign the St Andrews Declaration on a Shared Humanity.

The Pope is suspected to visit St Andrews in September to sign a declaration in a historic event in the University’s Parliament Hall on 23 September 2016, marking the culmination of the Year of Interfaith Dialogue.

The Year of Interfaith Dialogue is an initiative set up by Professor Mario Aguilar from the School of Divinity, which intends to stimulate the conversation about the similarities between different faiths.

The document intended for Pope Francis to sign, the St Andrews Declaration on a Shared Humanity, is a ten point declaration that incorporates the tenets of different faiths and emphasizes the basic principles of humanity, equality, diversity, and freedom.

This document hopefully will be used in schools and communities globally to foster a discussion about the idea of a common humanity and unification against the radicalisation of young peoples.

Professor Aguilar has met Pope Francis on multiple previous occasions and wrote a biography of the pontiff in 2014. While arrangements have not yet been confirmed, however Prof Aguilar said that he understands the trip to St Andrews has been penciled in as part of the pope’s agenda of activities.

The university intends to release further details of the signing event in advance.