On Sunday, March 22, 2026, during a solemn Mass celebrated in the Upper Basilica of Assisi, the Spirit of Assisi Lamp was presented to His Eminence Cardinal George Jacob KOOVAKAD, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.
For some time now, through the International Franciscan Center for Dialogue (CEFID), I have been in contact with the Dicastery’s secretariat. For example, the meeting in Assisi with the Buddhist students from Korea was held specifically at the Dicastery’s request. However, I cannot participate in all the projects, and for this reason, I focus only on those of a Franciscan nature. The beginning of this collaboration, however, is interesting. I met Cardinal KOOVAKAD in Assisi, when he was neither a bishop nor a cardinal. For a few days in 2024, he spent time at the Sacred Convent preparing for his episcopal consecration and creation as a cardinal. At that time, he didn’t yet know he would become Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. This is precisely what “binds” us. At that time, I too did not know that I would become the General Delegate for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue. Still, that’s precisely how dialogue begins: with an encounter! Dialogue presupposes a conversation and the need to listen to the other. An encounter is the only true way to get to know a person. Martin Buber wrote that “all real life is encounter.” He emphasized that even the encounter between one person and another cannot be planned or forced, since it is linked to freedom and grace, and furthermore refers to the encounter with God. It is God Himself who initiates the dialogue. The encounter with God constitutes the supreme purpose of life. Interreligious dialogue means, first and foremost, listening and wanting to understand, reaching out to others, to the other person, with a benevolent attitude. This can help ensure world peace. Understood in this way, the Spirit of Assisi can be summarized in three points: the inestimable value of peace and the responsibility of the world’s religions to achieve it; the awareness of the importance of prayer in obtaining the gift of peace; and the need to know and respect others, regardless of their faith. We seek dialogue with representatives of other religions because, more than anything else, we are driven by love for others, as St. Francis showed us. This is precisely the goal of the Franciscan Spirit of Assisi and precisely what this lamp, the “Light of Assisi,” symbolizes.
Friar Sławomir KLEIN
General Delegate for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue (EDI)
