Archb. Paglia on the spirit of Assisi
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| St Francis of Assisi painted by Giotto |
(Vatican Radio) As the 3-day
event of the World Day of Prayer for Peace concludes, Pope
Francis will be traveling to Assisi on Tuesday, 20 September to
participate in the final meeting. The event, which is promoted by the
Sant’Egidio Community, was first held in October of 1986 by Pope Saint John
Paul II. The Community has more than 60,000 members, spanning from 73 countries
around the globe. The various global communities share values and principles
that characterize the Sant’Egidio Community. Thirty years later, men and women
from various religious and geographical origins still unite in Assisi, this
year with the title, “Thirst for Peace. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue.”
They call for coexistence, peace, and unity.
Also present in Assisi is
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, chancellor for the Pontifical John Paul II
Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family and president of the Pontifical
Academy for Life.
Archbishop Paglia says that
peace is possible in Assisi: “Not peace in abstract, in theory, but a peace
among people who are different in belief, in faith, in culture. The sign of the
current time is the reality of Assisi”.
He believes that this event
is a great gesture towards peace in a world of conflict, difficulty, and
violence: “Difficulties can be overcome if we obey the Holy Spirit of Assisi.
In the sense the presence here of the Pope and a lot of religious leaders means
that their people can follow them. Their people can believe that peace and the
dialogue are possible”.
Pagila says that the spirit
of Assisi is alive and is the lifestyle to live by. He says that “We are in
this world to live in peace with each other and our differences in the sense
that the spirit of Assisi is a common spirit. It is to be the spirit of the
common people, is to be the spirit of leaders, and it is to be the spirit of
all people who lead in their different fields.
He says, “We hope that the
prophecy of Assisi can reach the hearts of the common people and of the leaders
of this world”.
The Archbishop also speaks of
his hopes for this important event.
“I think that the Pope, as a
father, as a common father, will try to gather everyone. Not in order to impose
his Catholic or Christian vision, but in order to push as a church to guide all
people in order to become the one family created by the Holy Father” he said.
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