Abu Dhabi Gathering Marks 800 Years Since the Death of St. Francis with a Call to Peace and Fraternity

Religious leaders, diplomats, academics and artists gathered in Abu Dhabi on October 19 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, reflecting on how the medieval saint’s writings continue to shape peacebuilding, interfaith dialogue and care for the environment. Around fifty participants attended the event at the Italian Cultural Institute, held during the Week of the Italian Language in the World.

The gathering was organised by the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia together with the Italian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates and the Italian Cultural Institute — a partnership that itself embodied the evening’s theme, bringing Catholic Church leadership and Italian diplomacy together in a Muslim-majority capital known for its promotion of interreligious coexistence.

Francis: from would-be knight to witness of peace

Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, led the reflection on Francis’ writings, tracing the personal transformation behind them. Francis had once pursued the glory of knighthood, Bishop Martinelli recalled, but failure, imprisonment and the horrors of war redirected his life toward peace and reconciliation. His encounter with Christ also transformed his attitude toward lepers, whom he had previously shunned — a conversion he described in his testament with the famous admission that what had once seemed bitter to him became sweetness of soul and body.

The saint’s surviving texts — rules, exhortations, letters and prayers — were examined for their contemporary relevance, with special attention to the Canticle of Brother Sun, a cornerstone of Italian vernacular literature that expresses kinship with all creation.

An anniversary with a message for the Gulf

Speakers connected Francis’ legacy to present-day relations between cultures and religions in the Gulf region, where large expatriate Christian communities worship alongside the Muslim majority. Eight centuries after his death, the poor man of Assisi — who famously crossed battle lines to meet the Sultan in Egypt — remains a shared reference point for Christians and Muslims seeking a vocabulary of human fraternity. The Abu Dhabi commemoration suggested that his witness still offers one.

Source: Suara Garut