Last year, I invited all of the bishops in the Order of Friars Minor Conventual to receive the Light of Assisi (an oil lamp specially prepared for the occasion) as part of the Spirit of Assisi Project, an initiative of the International Franciscan Center for Dialogue (CEFID). This symbolic act was intended to promote the Franciscan model of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue in their dioceses and churches.
Of the twenty-five bishops I invited, five responded. In addition, the Most Reverend Giuseppe PIEMONTESE, Bishop Emeritus of Terni-Narni-Amelia, Italy, whom I met in Assisi, expressed his approval of the project; however, being emeritus, he will support this work through prayer.
The following received the Light of Assisi during Masses celebrated in the upper church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi:
– March 8: the Most Reverend Marco TASCA, Archbishop of Genoa, Italy
– March 14: the Most Reverend Roberto CARBONI, Archbishop of Oristano, Italy and Bishop of Ales-Terralba, Italy
– March 15: His Eminence Cardinal Mauro GAMBETTI, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
I will visit the other two bishops in their dioceses, where we will organize a prayer meeting with representatives of different religions and Christian denominations. These are: the Most Reverend César ESSAYAN, Vicar Apostolic of Beirut, Lebanon, and the Most Reverend Stanisław DOWLASZEWICZ, Auxiliary Bishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
I hope that the witness of the bishops mentioned above will encourage others to receive the Light of Assisi. I am waiting, willing, and ready to receive suggestions, ideas, and projects. There is no fixed format for these meetings; each one is tailored to the country, its cultural context, and the religious situation of the region involved.
If you have ecumenical or interreligious dialogue initiatives in your countries, Jurisdictions, or dioceses, please contact me at: cefid.assisi@gmail.com. For formation houses, I have prepared a series of talks focused on specific themes, rather than purely academic lectures. For us Franciscans, I believe this could be an interesting and timely element of our mission and pastoral ministry.
May the Lord give you peace!
Friar Sławomir KLEIN
General Delegate for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue (EDI)
