- 27 October, 2026
Vatican, October 27, 2026: Forty years after Pope John Paul II convened representatives of Christian Churches and the world’s major religions for a Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi on October 27, 1986, the legacy of the ‘Spirit of Assisi’ continues to shape the Catholic Church’s approach to interreligious dialogue, fraternity and peace. From John Paul II’s theological reflections to Pope Benedict XVI’s inclusion of non-believers, Pope Francis’ call for fraternity and Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to return to the authentic sources of religious traditions, the initiative continues to inspire a shared commitment to peace across four pontificates.
Never before had a Pope convened representatives of the world’s major religions for a day dedicated to peace. John Paul II chose Assisi, the city of St Francis, for this unprecedented initiative, which left a profound mark on the history of interreligious dialogue.
Among the enduring images of that historic day were young Jewish people offering olive branches to religious representatives, particularly Muslims, a gesture that moved Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, whom Pope John Paul II had tasked with “orchestrating” the gathering, to tears. The exchange of the sign of peace among the leaders of Christian Churches inside the Cathedral of San Rufino, the religious leaders gathered on the stage in front of the basilica despite the cold, and the appearance of a rainbow after a grey morning also remained in the recollections of Cardinal Etchegaray, who saw it as a sign of fraternity.
The gathering was conceived to bear witness to a shared commitment to peace while respecting diverse religious convictions, with each participant praying according to their own tradition.
Beyond these memories, the day gave rise to what is known as the ‘Spirit of Assisi’—a commitment by different religions to meet, engage in dialogue and build peace together. It became a touchstone for the Church’s magisterium, calling for continued interpretation, refinement and development.
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray summarised its guiding principle using a phrase from John Paul II: “To be together to pray, but not to pray together.”
Following the path set by Nostra aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on the Catholic Church’s relations with non-Christian religions, the initiative gave visible expression to dialogue without erasing existing differences. From John Paul II to his successors, the reflection has repeatedly returned to the relationship between prayer and peace, religious identity and encounter, and faith and responsibility towards humanity.
The Council, reinterpreted through an event
“The very identity of the Catholic Church and its self-awareness were strengthened at Assisi,” John Paul II stated on December 22, 1986, while addressing the Roman Curia during his traditional Christmas greeting.
Through this statement, the Pope offered a theological interpretation of the gathering, emphasising that its success needed to be understood in the light of faith.
The foundation of the Assisi initiative lies in the unity of the human family, rooted in creation and the saving work of Christ. The gathering made this unity visible without obscuring religious divisions.
The relationship between the event and the Second Vatican Council was reciprocal: the Council provided a framework for interpreting the gathering, while the event helped to examine the Council’s teachings more deeply. Dialogue, therefore, does not weaken ecclesial identity but can make the Church more conscious of its mission of reconciliation.
The ‘Spirit’ beyond visible boundaries
Four years later, in the encyclical Redemptoris missio, dated December 7, 1990, John Paul II revisited this conviction and explicitly referred to Assisi.
“Every authentic prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit, who is mysteriously present in the heart of every person,” Pope John Paul affirmed.
This marked a decisive development in the understanding of interreligious dialogue within the Church’s mission. Recognising the action of the Spirit in others does not stand in opposition to the proclamation of Christ but is situated within the singular divine plan for salvation.
With “any ambiguous interpretation” ruled out, Assisi bore witness to the conviction that respecting a person in their religious quest means respecting the work of God within them. Dialogue, therefore, is grounded in a theological rationale rather than merely a diplomatic or humanitarian one.
No violence can be called religious
On January 24, 2002, John Paul II returned to Assisi, this time by train, amid a global climate marked by terrorism, hatred and conflict. The gathering took place just a few months after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the act of prayer became a public assumption of responsibility by religious communities to repudiate violence, particularly violence seeking to legitimise itself in the name of God.
“Whoever uses religion to foment violence contradicts its most authentic and profound inspiration,” the Polish Pontiff declared.
He linked peace with justice and forgiveness while reaffirming the distinct nature of different forms of prayer. The gathering was not an attempt to establish a single, common religion but a call for shared commitment, with each person remaining faithful to their own tradition and working to defuse hostility.
Prayer, therefore, does not mean escaping from history but engaging with it responsibly.
Even those who seek without believing
On October 27, 2011, marking the 25th anniversary of the first prayer meeting for peace, Pope Benedict XVI extended an invitation to those who did not profess a faith but were nevertheless searching for the true and the good.
“They are pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace,” Pope Benedict explained.
Their presence was not merely an addition to the gathering but also posed a challenge to believers. The image of God can be obscured by the way religions are practised. No one can claim God as their exclusive possession or feel authorised to impose themselves upon others on that basis.
Benedict XVI thus developed an imperative inherent to the ‘Spirit of Assisi’: the need to purify the way faith is practised. The gathering called believers to examine their conscience, asking whether their way of living and presenting the faith truly reveals the face of a God of peace or distorts it.
It is not enough to condemn those who use religion to justify violence; believers must also reflect on their own witness.
Alongside one another, for one another
“Instead, we prayed alongside one another, for one another.” In Assisi, on September 20, 2016, Pope Francis used these words to express the continuity of the initiative, explicitly excluding both syncretism and relativism.
He also emphasised its fraternal dimension, explaining that the commitment goes beyond respecting the prayers of others to taking responsibility for one another.
Dialogue must give a voice to victims of war, refugees and the poor. Prayer must be accompanied by concrete cooperation, while encounters must lead to a commitment to address the root causes of conflicts.
The challenge is not limited to overcoming fanaticism but also includes confronting indifference. Religious fidelity is also measured by the ability to listen to those who suffer.
Returning to the sources, against hatred
“[B]elievers can draw upon the most authentic sources of their particular spiritual traditions, where there is no room for ‘sanctified hatred’,” Pope Leo XIV states in paragraph 223 of the encyclical Magnifica humanitas, dated May 15, 2026.
The Pope explicitly invokes the ‘Spirit of Assisi’, fostered by John Paul II and continued by Francis, including through his dialogue with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar.
The legacy of 1986 thus finds its place in the Church’s social reflection on contemporary challenges. Religions can counter the mentality of violence not by diluting their own convictions but by returning to their original sources.
Forty years after the historic gathering, the central message remains that encounter is not a suspension of faith but a test of it. For believers, Assisi continues to raise the question of whether their relationship with God can become a commitment to peace.
Courtesy: Vatican News
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