Focolare Movement

Assisi: religions at the heart of history

Nov 2, 2006

International meeting of young people from different religious traditions "Make me an instrument of your peace”, from November 4 to 8

The Objective of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, on the 20th anniversary of the “Day of Prayer for Peace” on October 27 1986, was to hand on to the next generation the “Spirit of Assisi” proposed by John Paul II on that memorable day, when the leaders of all the religions of the world gathered in the city of St Francis. The meeting brought together young people of different religions with the aim of helping to rediscover and keep alive this spirit, a reason for hope in the future. About one hundred young people from 27 countries responded to the invitation: Christians from many churches and ecclesial communities, Jews and followers of many religious traditions: Hinduism, Jainism, Islam and others. The programme included plenary sessions, group debates and round table discussions, and pilgrimages to sites of importance in Franciscan spirituality. In the Sacred Convent, separate locations were made available for prayers and meditations of the various religious groups; the catholic youth will take part in the Sunday Eucharist and other moments of prayer. The programme – The meeting will come alive on November 5 with an inaugural session opened by the Bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino. After that there will be a reflection on the “Impact of Assisi 1986”, followed by a Eucharistic Liturgy at the Sacred Convent. In the afternoon there will be testimonies from groups who have over the last twenty years cultivated and spread the “spirit of Assisi”: the community of St Egidio, the Tendai Buddhists, Communion and Liberation, and the Focolare Movement. On November 6th, Kathryn Lohre, of the World Council of Churches, will address the young people on the theme “Supporting common values and respecting differences”, while on Tuesday 7 Cardinal Paul Poupard will assess the present situation of interreligious dialogue, emphasising the role of young people in a multifaith and multicultural world. The young people have been given the task of producing a message of hope and encouragement for the whole world, as a sign of their adhesion to the “Spirit of Assisi”. The meeting will end in Rome, on the morning of November 8, at the General Audience of the Pope.

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