Francis, Clare and the Ecumenical Spirit of Assisi (original) (raw)

" In 1986 John Paul II gathered religious leaders from around the world in Assisi and introduced the notion of the Spirit of Assisi as an ecumenical and interreligious one. Is it however a spirit that Francis and Clare of Assisi would recognize? What exactly were their relationships with ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and life? This reflection explores Clare’s fear-filled encounter with the Saracens and Francis’s hopeful encounter with the Sultan. It also considers Francis’s radical desire for peace and well-being (pace e bene) in a Church filled with the culture of the crusades."