The Spirit of Assisi

POPE JOHN Paul II knew that continuous dialogue between different denominations and religions was the most effective means of bringing about mutual understanding and reconciliation. He knew that people who shared belief in a supernatural reality could come together, find common ground, and pray communally for peace. Pope John Paul also knew, however, that only the Roman Pontiff, by virtue of his particular situation and prestige, has sufficient clout among world religious leaders to call a gathering of this kind.

John Paul, therefore, in great apprehension about the level of strife and warfare in the world (it must be remembered that in 1986 the whole of Eastern Europe was under the grip of the former Soviet Union, with its enormous arsenal of nuclear weapons still targeting the West), courageously decided to promote a movement to strengthen the cause of peace throughout the world. He decided that the best place from which to launch this initiative was Assisi, the city of Saint Francis, the saint of universal brotherhood and of love for all creatures.



In this way on 27 October, 1986, Pope John Paul II succeeded, for the first time in history, in bringing together 160 religious leaders from all over the world: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christians, as well as representatives of Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, African and North American animists, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism and Baha’i. They represented 32 Christian religious organizations and 11 other non-Christian world religions.

The meeting was a milestone event which gave enormous impetus to the worldwide peace movement, and at the conclusion of the event, Pope John Paul said, “For the first time in history, we have come together from every where, Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities, and World Religions, in this sacred place dedicated to Saint Francis, to witness before the world, each according to his own conviction, about the transcendent quality of peace”.



 

Doubts and controversy

 

There were also, however, reservations about the initiative, even among Catholics. It is believed that initiatives of this kind can open the door to religious syncretism and New Age ideas within the Church, a tendency which is quite widespread among the young. While Pope John Paul was well aware of this danger, he believed that strife throughout the world posed and even greater danger.

In any case, to ward off this hazard, the meeting was organised to the finest detail in such a way that only the purpose for which it was called for would emerge: the common prayer for peace.

The most intense moment of that day occurred in the afternoon in front of the Basilica of Saint Francis, when peace was invoked through the prayers and gestures by those present at the same time. This lasted for about 3 hours, and was broadcast live throughout the world.

 

Pope Benedict XVI

 

A quarter of a century has elapsed since that first great event, and the seed of peace that was then sown has continued to grow in a spate of initiatives involving many people, institutions and movements.  Pope John Paul himself has kept the spirit of that first meeting alive by frequent recollections of the event and by organising further encounters. In 1993 he repeated the Day of Prayer to pray for an end to the war in Bosnia, and invited leaders of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish religions. While on January 24, 2002, he organized another World Day of Prayer for Peace, again in Assisi. Some 200 other religious leaders were present, including Roman Catholic cardinals, Muslim clerics, Jewish rabbis, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bahais, Hindus, Jains, Zoroastrians and members of African traditional religions. Following the September 11, 2001, terrorism attacks, the event intended to discourage making religion a motive for conflict in the 21st century.

Pope Benedcit XVI has decided to renew the ‘spirit of Assisi’ with another gathering to mark the 25th anniversary of the original encounter, and he will personally preside over it. The announcement was given on January 1 this year (the 44th World Day of Peace) when, just after the Angelus, Benedict said, “Dear brothers and sisters, in my Message for today’s World Day of Peace I have had the opportunity to emphasize that the great religions can constitute an important factor of unity and peace for the human family. In this regard, moreover, I recalled that this year, 2011, is the 25th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace which Venerable John Paul II convoked in Assisi in 1986.

“Therefore next October I shall go as a pilgrim to the town of St Francis, inviting my Christian brethren of various denominations, and the exponents of the world’s religious traditions to join this Pilgrimage and ideally all men and women of good will. It will aim to commemorate the historical action desired by my Predecessor, and to solemnly renew the commitment of believers of every religion to live their own religious faith as a service to the cause of peace”.

 

Father Giuseppe Piemontese

 

Needless to say, an impressive organisational team is planning the event down to the finest detail. However, as with the original meeting, the aim of the reunion is not that of organising anything of a sensational or spectacular nature, but merely to pray together and to invoke God’s help from above. The theme of the event is: Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace.

This journalist has sought to gain additional information on the upcoming event by interviewing a man with extensive knowledge on past and present peace initiatives: Father Giuseppe Piemontese, Custodian of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi and of the annexed Sacro Convento, the venue for both this year’s meeting as well as the original 1986 event.

Father Giuseppe was formerly Minister Provincial of the Puglia Province in Italy, and was elected General Custodian of the Sacred Convent of Assisi in 2009. He is one of the principal organisers of the event, and proved a valuable source of information.

 

Father Giuseppe, the expression ‘Spirit of Assisi’ has become synonymous with any peace initiative of an interreligious nature. When did this expression come into being?

The first to use this phrase was Pope John Paul himself during a speech on 29 October 1986. The Pope had just received a group of representatives of some non-Christian religions who had been with him in Assisi two days before, and who, before returning home, wished to see him again. John Paul reminded them of the importance of the Assisi event, and thanked them for their participation. He then concluded his speech with these words, “You are about to return to your various homes and centres. I thank you again for coming and I wish you a safe journey. Let us continue to spread the message of peace. Let us continue to live the spirit of Assisi”.

From that time on, our late Pope frequently used this expression because he believed it effectively conveyed the essence of what the Second Vatican Council wanted to say in the document Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations), where the Church is presented as a “sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race” (Lumen Gentium 1), and in particular in the document Nostra Aetate (In Our Age), which treats the issue of ecumenism and the relationship between Christianity and the other religions.

The ‘Spirit of Assisi’ can be summarised in these three points: the inestimable value of peace and the responsibility of the world’s religions towards achieving it; the awareness of the importance of prayer in obtaining the gift of peace; the necessity of getting to know and to respect other human beings, irrespective of their faiths.

 

All saints are promoters of peace. Yet when John Paul decided to promote the meeting he opted for Saint Francis and Assisi. Why this choice?

Saint Francis is the saint which, more than any other, lived the Gospel in the fullest way possible by becoming ‘a living image of Christ crucified’. His human and Christian experience, with its high spirituality and artistic elements, incarnate that ideal man which still arouses admiration in all men and women today, irrespective of race, culture and religion.

Francis’ search for peace is proverbial and characteristic of his whole life. The formula with which he greeted people, given to him by God himself, is: May the Lord give you peace!

 

What episodes from Francis own life best demonstrate his special vocation for ecumenism and peace-building?

There are quite a few, but perhaps the best are: the conversion of the brigands at Mount Casale; his encounter with Sultan Malik al-Kamil at Damietta, Egypt, while the crusaders were besieging that town; the pacification of Siena; and the pacification between the bishop of Assisi and the mayor of Assisi. These episodes clearly demonstrate the Saint’s enormous courage and his capacity to connect with people of any race, class, religion and culture.

 

The 1986 initiative received sharp criticism from some Catholics who feared it would open the door to syncretism and religious relativism within the Church. Even today these voices can be heard. What basis do they have?

There are groups within the Church who believe we should have no relationship at all with people of other faiths. They seem to be unaware that it is possible to establish warm and positive relationships with people of other faiths without losing one iota of one’s own Catholic identity and beliefs.

The risk of relativism and syncretism was resolved by our late Pope when he pointed out, in his speech to the Roman Curia of December 22, 1986, that at Assisi everything had been done “without the slightest shadow of confusion and syncretism”.

On that occasion the Polish Pope specifically highlighted the value of prayer in the company of other people as an effective way of promoting peace. It was, he said, a means whereby every person can find the roots of peace and goodness inherent in humanity’s great religions. Besides, Vatican II actually exhorts Catholics to engage courageously in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue with people of other faiths, and at Assisi Pope John Paul, without the slightest shade of theological confusion, simply carried out the instructions contained in the Vatican II documents.

 

You Conventual Franciscans are deeply involved in the Assisi  meetings because the events were hosted in the spiritual heart of your own Order. What influence has the initiative had to your personal and community life?

The ‘Spirit of Assisi’ has led us to rethink some of our attitudes and practices here at the Sacro Convento. We have moved on from an attitude of defending ourselves to the more courageous stance of launching new proposals. The first effect of the meeting was to encourage us to promote and favour dialogue and encounters with people of other religions, and even with non-believers.

These encounters have been on theological issues as well as on more practical areas such as the promotion of peace, the promotion of the human being, justice and the safeguard of creation. A number of important events are being held around these topics in the run up to the anniversary of the first meeting in October 1986.

 

The first meeting in Assisi produced a spate of similar initiatives throughout the world. How do you see this reawakening of the spirit of peace?

Anything that helps to bring down barriers and walls between people and communities is good in itself and a gift of the Holy Spirit. Today, the rallying cry of those wishing to promote peace is ‘dialogue!’, dialogue at all levels and at all costs, without ever losing hope and determination. In our globalised, cosmopolitan societies we are ‘compelled’, as it were, to engage in dialogue with one another, whether we like it or not. So the best way to do this is to engage in sincere dialogue with all peoples and faiths, and at the same time to witness to our faith in Jesus Christ and to our love for the human being who was created in God’s image, as well as to our love for all creatures “which bear the imprint of the Most High” as stated in the Rule for the Third Order.

  

The Spirit of Assisi has also greatly boosted tourism in Assisi. What changes have you noted?

Assisi draws so many people simply because it is filled by the spiritual presence of Saint Francis, a universal brother, an ‘alter Christus’ (other Christ), and God’s instrument of peace. Obviously, not all tourists actually come here for this reason; many come simply to admire the works of art that the Saint’s spirituality has inspired. Nevertheless, from the beauty of the churches here, and the masterpieces they contain, these people draw something of the climate of peace that pervades this town.

 

Specifically, what peace initiatives has your Order promoted at the Sacro Convento?

Even before the 1986 meeting we hosted numerous interreligious meetings here, and we also organised other peace initiatives around the world through the Centro Ecumenico del Sacro Convento.

Massimiliano Mizzi, OFM Conv, who died in 2008, was a tireless promoter of peace initiatives and interreligious dialogue as head of the Centro Ecumenico del Sacro Convento, and the Centre is still pursuing the same goal in a spate of continuous initiatives. In other parts of the world there are another seven centres working for peace and dialogue sponsored by us Conventuals.

 

You are among the organisers of the upcoming meeting. Can you tell us what is going to happen on that day?

On the night of 26 October there is a prayer vigil presided over by Pope Benedict XVI at St Peter’s. I will be attended by the faithful of the Diocese of Rome, and other religious communities throughout the world are invited to organise similar events.

On the morning of 27 October the Holy Father, along with the leaders of other religions, and a small committee of non-believers, is travelling by train from Rome all the way to Assisi as a ‘pilgrim of truth’ and as a ‘pilgrim of peace’. On their arrival, they will be received by the authorities of the city.

In the first part of the day, in the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels on the outskirts of the city, there will be a commemoration of the 25 year anniversary through the viewing of a video and a series of speeches held by representatives of those present, after which Benedict himself will give a speech.

This will be followed by a frugal meal to highlight solidarity with the millions throughout the world who are suffering hunger as a consequence of war. There will then be a time of silence for personal meditation and prayer.

In the afternoon a march will take place starting from the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels which will wind its way throughout the city all the way up to the Basilica of Saint Francis. This walk symbolises the path that every human being must make in his or her search for truth and the construction of justice and peace. It will take place in silence to give participants the opportunity to meditate and pray during the walk.

The final part of the event will take place in the square facing the Basilica of Saint Francis, when the representatives of all the major world religions as well as non-believers will solemnly renew their common commitment to peace.

Finally, the Holy Father, and those delegates who desire it, will visit the Tomb of Saint Francis, after which the Pope will return to Rome by train.