Religious leaders look forward to renewing 'spirit of Assisi' with pope
(September 14, 2011) St. Francis of Assisi appeals to believers and nonbelievers
alike because they long for a world where people see each other as brothers and sisters
and where they recognize and respect creation as a gift to all, said the superior
of the Franciscan convent in Assisi. Conventual Franciscan Father Giuseppe Piemontese,
custodian of the Sacred Convent of St. Francis, was one of eight religious leaders
who spoke about "The Spirit of Assisi" during an interreligious meeting September
11-13 in Munich. The meeting was sponsored by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Rome-based
lay movement. To mark the 25th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II's gathering with
religious leaders in Assisi, Pope Benedict XVI has convoked a new gathering in the
Italian town October 27. Father Piemontese said the encounter will underline how important
Blessed John Paul's gathering was for promoting dialogue and collaboration among religions,
but it also will be a "reminder of what still remains to be done" to ensure true collaboration,
respect and mutual support among peoples. Holding the gathering in Assisi makes sense
to people because St. Francis "incarnated those high aspects of humanity, simplicity,
humility" that enable people to recognize each other as brothers and sisters and to
see all of creation as the work of the same hands that made them, he said. Syrian
Orthodox Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of Aleppo, Syria, said marking the
anniversary of the 1986 Assisi meeting "challenges us to reflect on these last 25
years. They were brimming with fruitful experiences" and helped religious leaders
"strengthen their faith and enrich their enthusiasm and enhance their collective vision."