Abu Dhabi Marks 800 Years Since St Francis Death

Religious leaders, academics and cultural figures gathered in Abu Dhabi on October 19 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of St Francis of Assisi's death, examining how his teachings on peace, human fraternity and respect for creation remain relevant to relations between different faiths and cultures. The event took place at the Italian Cultural Institute during the Week of the Italian Language in the World and attracted approximately 50 participants.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia organized the gathering with the Italian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates and the Italian Cultural Institute. According to Vatican News and Fides, the program examined Franciscan spirituality, interreligious dialogue, Italian literature and sustainable art, highlighting the saint's influence on contemporary efforts to promote coexistence.

Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, centered his address on the writings of St Francis, describing them as a record of the spiritual transformation that shaped the saint's approach to other people and the natural world.

Martinelli opened his remarks with the traditional Franciscan greeting, "May the Lord give you peace."

He characterized the saint's surviving texts as "few and brief, but extraordinarily intense, profound, and in many ways groundbreaking."

These writings include rules, exhortations, letters and prayers. Among them, the Canticle of Brother Sun occupies a distinctive place in Italian vernacular literature, expressing a spiritual relationship with creation through references to the sun as brother and the moon as sister.

Martinelli explained that Francis's commitment to peace emerged through personal hardship rather than an uncomplicated pursuit of harmony. As a young man, Francis aspired to knighthood and military achievement, but the experience of war, personal failure and his encounter with Christ redirected his life toward reconciliation and mercy.

Recalling the saint's Testament, Martinelli cited Francis's description of his changing attitude toward people suffering from leprosy: "What was bitter to me became sweetness of soul and body,"

The transformation illustrated how Francis came to recognize people he had previously avoided as brothers and sisters. His understanding of fraternity also encompassed forgiveness, patient suffering and acceptance of mortality, expressed in the Canticle through the reference to "sister death."

Martinelli connected this outlook to Francis's encounter with Sultan Malik Al Kamil and the guidance he gave friars traveling among Muslims. The saint encouraged peaceful engagement rather than religious confrontation, while his writings also reflected appreciation for Muslim devotional practices.

Francis's legacy has also influenced modern Catholic approaches to relations between religions. Pope Francis drew on the medieval saint's example in his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, which emphasized human fraternity and openness across religious and cultural boundaries. His meeting with Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019, produced the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.

In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis described the medieval saint's example as "An episode in the life of St. Francis that shows his openness of heart, which knew no bounds and transcended differences of origin, nationality, color, or religion,"

The 2019 declaration articulated the shared commitment of the two religious leaders to equality, dignity and peaceful coexistence.

Its text states, "God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties, and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters,"

At the Abu Dhabi commemoration, Father Stefano Luca, director of the Apostolic Vicariate's Interfaith and Ecumenical Dialogue Office, emphasized that Francis's social engagement originated in his religious devotion.

Father Luca described the saint as "a man in love with God. His roots are in God"

Professor Roberto Catalano of Sophia University Institute examined the connection between St Francis and Pope Francis, focusing on fraternity and efforts to build constructive relations with the Muslim world. Emirati artist and engineer Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Mualla discussed sustainability through his practice of transforming discarded materials into functional artworks, connecting his work with Franciscan respect for creation.

Italian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Lorenzo Fanara highlighted dialogue, mutual understanding, cultural exchange and environmental sustainability as principles that continue to influence Italian foreign policy. He also recognized St Francis's historical contribution to Italian literature as one of its earliest major poets.