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(Vatican Radio) The city of Assisi has seen a good bit of history: from foreign invasions to civil wars to natural disasters, the small hilltop city in Umbria seems to have been in the way of everything; and its most famous native son, Francis, is credited with almost single-handedly repairing a broken – and by some accounts, dying – Church in the early 13^th century, and with sparking a renascence of faith and zeal for the Gospel that, eight centuries later, continues to inform and direct the energies of the whole Church and the Catholic faithful throughout the world.

Pope Francis is coming to this place, to pray and to lead the leaders of the world’s religions in supplication to the Lord of creation for the gift of peace.

Thirst for Peace: religions and cultures in dialogue is the theme of this 30^th anniversary edition of the World Day of Prayer for Peace, in preparation for which the Community of Sant’Egidio has organized three days of conferences taking the measure of the progress of the work for peace begun in earnest under the visionary leadership of Pope St. John Paul II.

These panels and roundtable discussions are neither incidental, nor peripheral to the Day of Prayer.

A half-dozen of the working sessions began at 8:30 on Tuesday morning – just hours before the scheduled arrival of Pope Francis – and carry the work of the “spirit of Assisi” forward and into the afternoon of prayer – each according to the dictates of conscience – before the final session in the afternoon, during which the representatives of the world’s religions will come together to launch an appeal for peace, a call to all the world’s citizens to labour to lay the firm foundation of justice upon which to build – with God’s help - amity and concord.

Devin Watkins spoke to Chris Altieri, who is in Assisi ahead of the Pope's arrival.

Listen to their conversation:

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(Vatican Radio) Among the world’s religious leaders gathered in Assisi on Tuesday for the World Day of Prayer for Peace is the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Justin Welby.

The Anglican leader was moderating one of the many panel discussions organised by the St Edigio community as part of a three day international meeting focused on the theme ‘Thirst for peace – religions and cultures in dialogue’. Since the first Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, called for by Pope John Paul II exactly 30 years ago, St Egidio has  organised an annual interfaith encounter to highlight the vital role of dialogue among all people of faith in promoting peace in the world.

Listen: 

Archbishop Welby was joined by the founder of the St Egidio community, Andrea Riccardi, by the former head of the Vatican’s Council for Christian Unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, by Jewish interfaith expert, Rabbi David Rosen and by Italy’s deputy foreign minister Mario Giro to discuss the leadership role of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew over the past quarter of a century. The spiritual leader of the Orthodox world has played a key part in promoting better relations with other Christian churches and other faith communities, as well as serving as a prophetic voice for the role of religions in protection of the environment.

Just after the panel discussion, Vatican Radio’s Massimiliano Menichetti spoke briefly with Archbishop Welby who described Patriarch Bartholomew “a man of such deep spiritual life and reconciliation in so many areas”.

Asked about the meaning of dialogue, the Anglican leader said for him it is the art of “very careful listening, more than lots of speaking”.

Quoting the Orthodox leader, Archbishop Welby said “my wish for the future is that we have a breakthrough in ecumenism within the church, a breakthrough towards recognizing our common discipleship in Jesus Christ”.

That future goal will be at the top of the agenda here in the Vatican when Archbishop Welby comes for a two day encounter with Pope Francis in just a couple of weeks time

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has landed in Assisi, the hilltop town in central Italy where Saint Francis was born.

His one day visit to Assisi sees him taking part  in the closing of the interreligious World Day of Prayer for Peace, organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio. The theme of the 3-day international meeting this year is “Thirst for Peace. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue”.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the First World Day of Prayer for Peace that St. John Paul convened back in 1986, an historic event which saw world leaders of different religions come together for the very first time to pray for peace. 

The Pope has travelled to Assisi by helicopter and after his landing near the  Basilica of St Mary of the Angels where Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi and the local authorities greeted him, the Pope travels by car to the Holy Convent of Assisi. Here he is welcomed by Father Mauro Gambetti, Custodian of the Holy Convent, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, a Muslim reprepresentative, Dr Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Syro-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Efrem II, a Jewish representative and the Supreme Head of Tendai Buddhism (Japan). They then move to the Cloister of Sixtus IV where the representatives of Christian denominations and World Religions are waiting. 

Pope Francis greets all participants at the World Day of Prayer for Peace before having lunch in the  refectory of the Holy Convent that also will be attended by several war victims and refugees.

During the afternoon Pope Francis meets individually with the following: Bartholomew I, a Muslim representative, Archbishop Justin Welby, Patriarch Efrem II and a Jewish representative.

At 4pm local time Prayers for Peace take place in different venues. The Ecumenical Prayer of Christians takes place in the Lower Basilica of St. Francis, after which all the participants exit from the Lower Basilica and meet with the Representatives of other religions who have prayed in different places and they move to the podium in the Square.

A closing ceremony is schedule to take place at 5.15pm in St. Francis Square with messages read by Pope Francis, by a victim of war, Patriarch Bartholomew I, a Muslim representative, a Jewish representative, Japanese Buddhist Patriarch and by Professor Andrea Riccardi, Founder of the Sant’Egidio Community.

A Letter appealing for peace will be handed to children from various countries followed by  a moment of silence for the victims of war, the signing of an Appeal for Peace and the lighting of two candles, and the exchange of a sign of peace

Pope Francis is scheduled to depart from Assisi at 6.30pm and arrive back at the Vatican City Heliport 1 hour later.

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(Vatican Radio)  The world needs to go “beyond the divisions of religions,” and feel the “shame” of war, without turning a “deaf ear” to the cries of those who are suffering: that’s what Pope Francis said in his Homily at Mass at Santa Marta Tuesday morning.  The Holy Father was speaking just hours before he was to leave for the Umbrian hill town of Assisi where he was to take part September 20, 2016 in the closing ceremony of an international summit of interfaith leaders to pray for world peace.  The first such gathering in Assisi was convened by Pope St. John Paul II in 1986.

"There is no god of war". War, the inhumanity of a bomb that explodes, killing and injuring people, and cutting off humanitarian aid so that it cannot get to children, the elderly, the sick, is uniquely the work of “the evil one” who "wants to kill everyone," said the Pope.  For this, it is necessary for all faiths to pray, even cry for peace - united in the conviction that "God is a God of peace."

Do not turn a deaf ear: the world is suffering!

At the start of his Homily, Pope Francis observed, "today, men and women of all religions, we will go to Assisi - not to make a show: simply to pray and to pray for peace.” He recalled his letter to all the bishops of the world  calling on them to organize prayer meetings on this day, inviting “Catholics, Christians, believers and all men and women of good will , of any religion, to pray for peace,"  because, he exclaimed, " the world is at war! The world is suffering! "

"Today's First Reading,” the Pope continued, “ends like this: 'He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard.’  If we now shut our ears to the cry of these people who are suffering under the bombs, who suffer the exploitation of arms dealers, it may be that when it happens to us, we will not be heard. We cannot turn a deaf ear to the cry of pain of our brothers and sisters who are suffering from war. "

War begins in the heart

“We do not see" the war, Francis maintained. "We are scared"  by "some act of terrorism" but "this has nothing to do with what is happening in those countries, in those lands where the bombs, day and night,  fall and fall" and "kill children, the elderly, men, women…"  "The war is far away?"  asked the Pope. "No! It’s very close" because "the war touches everyone…war begins in the heart ."

"May the Lord grant us peace in our hearts,” Pope Francis prayed.  May He “take away all desire for greed, covetousness, for fighting. No! Peace, peace!” the Pope exclaimed again.  So that “our heart is the heart of a man or woman of peace. And beyond the divisions of religions: everyone, everyone, everyone! Because we are all children of God. And God is the God of peace. There is no god of war.  He who makes war is evil; it is the devil who wants to kill everyone. "

We should feel the shame

Faced with this, there can be no divisions between faiths, Francis insisted. It is not enough to simply thank God because maybe the war "does not affect us."  Let us be grateful for this, yes, added the Pope,  “but we must also think about the others" who are being affected by it.

We think today not only about the bombs, the dead, the wounded; but also about the people - children and the elderly – for whom humanitarian aid has yet to arrive so they can eat. Medicines cannot arrive. They are hungry, sick! Because the bombs are preventing the aid from getting to them. And, while we pray today, it would be nice if all of us were to feel ashamed. Ashamed of this: that humans, our brothers, are capable of doing this. Today, a  day of prayer, penance, crying for peace; a day to hear the cry of the poor. This cry that opens the heart to compassion, to love and saves us from selfishness.

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(Vatican Radio) If dialogue is the path to peace, and if authentic dialogue consists in careful listening and frank speaking, then the Cardinal-Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, John Onaiyekan, is to be counted as one who “gets it”. In a brief, but intense moment of conversation with Vatican Radio following a panel discussion on terrorism, which took place Monday afternoon in Assisi as part of events in preparation for the World Day of Prayer for Peace, Cardinal Onaiyekan made remarks that left no doubt regarding his own commitment to dialogue.

Listen to Chris Altieri's interview with Cardinal Onaiyekan:

Speaking of the terrorist insurgency of the Boko Haram group, which has killed scores of thousands of people since its founding in 2002 with the express purpose of overthrowing Nigeria's legitimate government and establishing Islamic law throughout the country, Cardinal Onaiyekan said, “These are religious extremists.” The significance of the assertion comes into focus when one considers the contributions of several panellists, who insisted that the real root causes of conflicts that appear to be religious, are actually quite mundane political and social issues of power, influence, enfranchisement (or lack thereof). While not denying these root causes, Cardinal Onaiyekan was at pains to recognize the sincerity of the extremists’ specifically religious convictions. “[They] have very bizarre, sometimes crazy, ideas, which they hold very firmly.” He went on to say, “We believe most of them are sincere: they are sincere, but wrong,” he said.

The “we” to whom Cardinal Onaiyekan referred in his remarks is the group of partners – mostly Muslim – with whom he and other Christian leaders in Nigeria are committed to dialogue.  “The good news is that the vast majority of Nigerian Muslims, and the Islamic establishment in Nigeria, have consistently and clearly disowned [Boko Haram],” Cardinal Onaiyekan told Vatican Radio.

The lack of popular support – indeed the general disapproval of and legitimate hostility toward Boko Haram, is one of the factors, which, combined with vigorous government prosecution of military and security operations against the terror group, has greatly reduced their ability to wage war and wreak terror.

If the military side of the struggle against Boko Haram has been necessary, it has not proved sufficient.

“Government has not done enough to seek other ways of addressing the terrorist insurgency,” he said. “They have put too much emphasis and focus on military engagement, including spending lots of money – buying sophisticated weapons, and maybe even employing mercenaries at high cost. Now, that is partly necessary – and maybe Boko Haram has not been put in a position to be ready to talk.” Nevertheless, “We are not aware that government is making enough effort to create a forum for discussion – and I do believe that, at the end of the day, there will be a need to discuss – because the objective of killing off every Boko Haram [member] is first not possible, and secondly, not even desirable: we should rather seek a way of getting their leadership to finally begin to agree that they have taken the wrong course, so that we can start moving forward.”

With due regard for the gravity of the challenge Boko Haram poses (the group was responsible for 11 thousand deaths in 2015, alone), and while frankly recognizing their brutality (as many as 2 million people have been driven from their homes as a result of the insurgency, according to UN estimates) ,  Cardinal Onaiyekan also told Vatican Radio that the insurgency is dominating neither life in the country nor the national consciousness.

“The whole world keeps talking about Boko Haram, and even we in Nigeria are surprised at how much press Boko Haram is getting abroad,” he said. “They think the entire nation has been taken over, whereas in fact, it is just one section of the country,” Cardinal Onaiyekan continued. “The rest of the nation is busy with other problems.”  

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