Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID), in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, organised an International Inter-religious Youth Meeting in Assisi from 4-8 November 2006 in order to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Day of Prayer for Peace which took place on 27 October 1986 in Assisi (see Fides 21/10/2006). The goal of the meeting was to pass on to the young generation the ‘spirit of Assisi’ which the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, launched on 27 October.
The PCID invited about 100 youth from different religious traditions throughout the world; nearly fifty young people represented the Christians and the rest came from other religious traditions. At the invitation of PCID President Cardinal Paul Poupard about 45 youth from 29 countries and belonging to Hindu, Taoist, Buddhist, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Baha’i, Tenrikyo and Brahma Kumari traditions came to Assisi and formed themselves as a family for four days. Plenary sessions, group and panel discussions and walking pilgrimage to San Damiano and Rivotorto in Assisi were some of the highlights of the programme during the Youth Meeting. The Christian participants from around the world formed half of the total number of youth who were present in Assisi: 35 Catholics and 16 representatives of other Christian Churches and communities. The deliberations were conducted in Italian, French and English languages, making available simultaneous translations to the participants. The young Catholics participated in the Holy Mass which was celebrated on Sunday by Cardinal Etchegaray. On the other days Cardinal Poupard and Bishop Mgr Celata celebrated the Holy Masses for the Catholic Youth. The young people were welcomed by the Archbishop of Assisi Domenico Sorrentino. The meeting consisted of conferences, experience sharing and testimony on the past 20 years and the present inter-religious situation. The young people were urged to play a role in building peace in their own countries and communities.
The Assisi Youth Meeting concluded in Rome on 8 November when the participants joined the large assembly of thirty thousand pilgrims in St Peter’s Square who said, “I am pleased to greet the young people of different nations and religious traditions who recently gathered in Assisi to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Inter-religious Meeting of Prayer for Peace desired by my predecessor, Pope John Paul II. I thank the various religious leaders who enabled them to take part in this event, and the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue which organised it. Dear young friends: our world urgently needs peace! The Assisi meeting emphasised the power of prayer in building peace. Genuine prayer transforms hearts, opens us to dialogue, understanding and reconciliation, and breaks down the walls erected by violence, hatred and revenge. May you now return to your own religious communities as witnesses to the ‘spirit of Assisi’, messengers of that peace which is God’s gracious gift, and living signs of hope for our world”.
As an expression of hope for a world of harmony and peace the young people decided to address a message from young people to young people, drafted by seven participants of seven different religions. In the Message the young people explained that they had come to Assisi, “called from nearly 30 nations and representing 13 religious traditions, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the historic Day of Prayer for World Peace in 1986. Invited by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and sent by our religious communities and organizations, we young people came here to carry forward the flame of peace ignited by our spiritual leaders 20 years ago in these same sacred spaces. We encountered one another with honesty and sincerity to build up the bonds of fraternity that unite us all as brothers and sisters in our humanity, fashioned by and in God. From our commonly held desires for happiness, justice and truth, we entered into genuine dialogue. We shared and learned about each other’s cultures and beliefs, not to minimize or ignore our differences, but to grow in mutual respect, esteem and understanding. Though we do not share the same religious convictions, we have all inherited the same earth and share a common responsibility to be faithful citizens of society and to be good stewards of creation. We prayed according to our respective religious traditions, imploring from God the precious gift of peace. While our prayers were offered in different places, languages and ways, we were united in a single purpose: praying for peace. In this way, we testified to the truth that “prayer does not divide but unites and is a decisive element for an effective pedagogy of peace, hinged on friendship, reciprocal acceptance and dialogue between different cultures and religions” as Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his message for the 20th anniversary of the first Assisi meeting. We walked as pilgrims to the site of St. Francis of Assisi’s conversion 800 years ago, when God called out to Francis “Go, rebuild my house.” Likewise today, in the spirit of our respective religions, we young people hear the call to “Go, rebuild our world,” which is too often broken by violence and war”.
The young people launched an “appeal to all people that peace is not something only to be sought in halls of government, but also in the halls of our synagogues, our churches, our mosques, our temples, our pagodas, our gurudwaras, our atash berhrams, our schools, our workplaces, our homes and most importantly in our hearts. We will strive to follow the path to peace, guided by the precepts of our respective religious traditions. In the ”spirit of Assisi” and with a united voice, we echo the words of that great ambassador of peace, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, as we cry out: Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again! In the name of God, may every religion bring upon the earth Justice and Peace, Forgiveness and Life, Love! We young people represent a new generation and a new hope. We resolve to return to our families and communities, to be advocates for interreligious and intercultural understanding and respect. We accept the responsibility of continuing the dialogue begun here in Assisi and we fully commit ourselves to working for justice and to be instruments of peace in our homelands and in every corner of the earth”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 14/11/2006 - Righe 58; Parole 857)
