Spirit of Assisi in Zenica Tonight

The interfaith gathering Spirit of Assisi stems from the meeting of world religions first held in 1986 in Assisi under the title World Day of Prayer in Assisi, organized by Pope John Paul II, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria. 

About 120 religious leaders gathered at that meeting. At the Second Prayer Meeting of Religions in Assisi in January 2002, the Assisi Declaration was adopted, signed by representatives of 12 world religions and 31 Christian communities.

In the meantime, such gatherings are organized all over the world. The Spirit of Assisi is based on the life of Francis of Assisi, who in his time - a time of exclusivity - proclaimed the presence of God in the face of every person; in a time of great social injustices in which he himself lived, Francis introduced the paradigm of brotherhood and sisterhood - the equality of all people; in a time of crusades, he advocated for dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

Therefore, contemporary interfaith gatherings should follow precisely these paradigms, which are contained in the Assisi Declaration, but are also inherited by other world religions. The Spirit of Assisi is no one's private property - and it must be open to all. It should be nurtured not only at the institutional level of meetings of religious leaders, but also include scientific-theological dialogue, spiritual-meditative gatherings, and most of all promote the "dialogue of life" and coexistence of people of different faiths and worldviews in their concrete life circumstances.

At this year's event "Spirit of Assisi in Zenica," organized by the Committee for Interfaith Cooperation in Zenica, headed by Don Anto Ledić, the following will participate: the Choir of Theology Students of the Franciscan Theology in Sarajevo, the choir of the Medžlis of the Islamic Community of Doboj "Selimija," the choir of the Orthodox Seminary in Foča, and the Spiritual Ensemble "Novo Nebo" from Zenica. The youngest members of our communities and young people from cultural and artistic societies will also take part, reminding us all of the tradition of our peoples.

In addition to numerous religious officials from the city and neighboring towns, many figures from cultural, artistic, media, scientific, and political life have announced their arrival.

As the highlight of the annual gathering "Spirit of Assisi in Zenica," a Declaration on Peace - the "Zenica Declaration on Peace" will be signed and sent to the public, signed on behalf of their communities and churches by Zenica's religious leaders.

The spiritual-cultural event "Spirit of Assisi in Zenica" will take place tonight at the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet, starting at 7:00 PM.