Final preparations are almost complete in Assisi, the city of St Francis, ahead
of a pilgrimage Thursday by Pope Benedict XVI and leaders of the world's religions,
a pilgrimage of prayer and reflection for peace. Philippa Hitchen , who is in Assisi,
takes a look back to that first historic meeting 25 years ago:
It was a
cold, grey day back in October 1986 as the religious leaders arrived in Assisi from
countries across the world for that first historic day of prayer for peace, called
for by Pope John Paul II. A bold gesture on the part of a Pope who believed deeply
in the need to forge new friendships across the faiths, to break down centuries old
walls of suspicion, to put into practise the Second Vatican Council’s spirit of openness
towards people of other religious traditions and to work together for a new era of
peace built, as the Pope put it, upon the four pillars of truth, justice, love and
freedom.
Assisi, city of St Francis and St Clare, was an inspired choice for
such a meeting. A place of pilgrimage down the centuries since the founding of the
first Franciscan and Poor Clare communities in the early 13th century.
A city whose art and spirituality have profoundly marked the religious and cultural
history of Europe and beyond. A place where, as Pope John XXIII remarked, “the pilgrim
almost inadvertently senses the splendour of art and the appeal of holiness.”
Pilgrims
from around the world flock here – some six million each year – to walk up the narrow
winding streets to the great Basilica of St Francis, built on two levels with the
tomb of the saint in the crypt below. They come to admire the famous frescoes by Cimbabue
and Giotto, meticulously restored in the wake of the earthquake which struck this
city in 1997, or to visit the Porziuncola, the tiny church at the bottom of the hill
where Francis died after founding his new order.
Altogether 18 different popes
have made a total of 39 visits to this city – Gregory the 9th was the first
to come here in 1228 for the canonisation of Francis and the blessing of the first
stone for the construction of the new basilica. Four years ago, in 2007, Pope Benedict
XVI came here for a pastoral visit marking the eighth centenary of the conversion
of St Francis from wealthy bon viveur to simple friar in search of God-s love made
manifest in the beauty of all creation.
It’s a grey, wet day again here in
Assisi as the city gears up for another historic visit by Pope Benedict who has invited
leaders and representatives of the world-s major religions to mark the 25th
anniversary of that first day of prayer and to commit themselves anew to the path
of justice and peace in the world. Some 300 delegates are expected to join him on
this pilgrimage, for a day of reflection, dialogue and prayer, each drawing on the
riches of his or her own spiritual tradition in the search for solutions to the many
problems and conflicts which continue to cause untold suffering and conflict.
And
who knows if, as on that first day of prayer in 1986, the clouds and rain may give
way to reveal a rainbow in the sky, reflecting the coloured robes and headgear of
believers from so many different countries and cultures gathered together; an unmistakable
witness to the desire for peace and unity that lies deep in the heart of each individual.
Listen to Philippa Hitchen's report