PUA, series of conferences: "The spirit of Assisi between memory and prophecy"

On the 27th October 2026, Pope Leo XIV will return to Assisi - for the third time in his pontificate - for the final day of the "Spirit of Assisi", the interreligious prayer event for peace now in its 40th year. On 27 October 1986, in Assisi, at the invitation of St. John Paul II, leaders of different religious confessions met for the World Day of Prayer for Peace.

To deepen the legacy of that historic event and reflect on its relevance in the face of the challenges of the contemporary world, on the 7th October the Chair of Spirituality and Interreligious Dialogue, dedicated to the memory of Mons. Luigi Padovese and promoted by the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality of the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University Antonianum (PUA), launched a series of conferences entitled "The spirit of Assisi between memory and prophecy".

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, hosted the first meeting and gave a talk entitled "The meeting of the 27th October, 1986 and the Magnifica Humanitas of Leo XIV." In his speech, the cardinal recalled the prophetic significance of the Assisi meeting, emphasising how St. Francis's witness continues to inspire interreligious dialogue and a commitment to peace. Linking that event's legacy to the magisterium of Leo XIV, he highlighted the importance of fraternity as a foundation for building a future of peace, recalling Franciscan academic institutions' responsibility to promote a culture of encounter and dialogue.

Read the full text of the report by Cardinal Koovakad.
See the calendar of upcoming conferences on the PUA website.

On the theme of dialogue, from the 11th to 24th October, the Course of Interreligious and Ecumenical Dialogue, promoted by the OFM and now in its twentieth edition, will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, and this year will focus on the Eight-hundredth Anniversary of St. Francis's death.