08/09/2006

Pope re-evaluates 'spirit of Assisi'

Pope Benedict, in a stunning change of tone from when he was a cardinal, this week called the 1986 interreligious prayer gathering in Assisi a prophetic event and he defended it from longstanding charges that it promoted syncretism and religious relativism.

Though he declined to participate in a two-day conference this week of world spiritual leaders who were in St Francis's home town to mark the twentieth anniversary of the landmark prayer gathering, the Pope had words of praise for John Paul II's 1986 initiative, saying it continued to spawn "reflection and commitment" to peace. It was a dramatic message given that, as prefect of the Vatican's doctrinal office, Cardinal Ratzinger conspicuously shunned the Assisi gathering, evidently because it appeared to relativise the differences between the world's religions. His absence at the time, at an event that drew most of the top religious leaders on earth, was interpreted as criticism of the initiative.

But in this week's message, speaking in his capacity as Bishop of Rome, Benedict XVI revised his evaluation. He said Pope John Paul's idea had been prophetic in showing that war and violence could never be carried out in the name of religion. He also praised his predecessor's emphasis on prayer as the way to begin building true peace in the heart of individuals. But he emphasised that the various religious traditions should not relativise their differences - even through prayer - and said his predecessor was clear on this point. "Right from his first words," said the Pope, "John Paul II declared: �The fact that we have come here does not imply any intention of seeking a religious consensus among ourselves or of negotiating our faith convictions. Neither does it mean that religions can be reconciled at the level of a common commitment in an earthly project that would surpass them all. Nor is it a concession to relativism in religious beliefs ... " Pope Benedict then omitted the final clause in his predecessor's statement, which read: "... because every human being must sincerely follow his or her upright conscience with the intention of seeking and obeying the truth".

Nevertheless, Benedict XVI offered a more positive re-evaluation of the 1986 Assisi gathering in his carefully crafted four-page letter to the Bishop of Assisi. He asked that his reflections be "made known" to this week's conference - sponsored by the Sant'Egidio Community - and to a series of other events that will mark the twentieth anniversary. The letter could be interpreted as both an encouragement to the many enthusiastic proponents of the "spirit of Assisi" - as John Paul II defined it - and, at the same time, an assurance to long-time critics that there could be no concession to syncretism or religious relativism. By deciding not to attend any of the anniversary celebrations, the Pope has carefully maintained his original distance from the Assisi event. Yet he has also recast it in a more positive light than he did as the Vatican's doctrinal chief.

At the end of his message Pope Benedict recalled that the twentieth anniversary of Assisi 1986 coincided with the eighth centenary of the conversion of St Francis. He said the simple and poor friar is rightly considered the model for "peace, respect for nature, and dialogue among peoples and cultures". But he said it was also important not to "betray his message". The Pope said it was Francis' "radical choice for Christ" that helped him to understand that all people are called to live in "fraternity".

The Pope last week fulfilled a promise he had made months before being elected Bishop of Rome when he made a private visit to an Italian mountain church that houses what many believe to be a "mini shroud" of the Holy Face of Christ. However Vatican officials stressed that the visit to the Shrine of Manoppello in no way validated the authenticity of the image, known as Veronica's Veil. The Pope said the sanctuary was "a place where we meditate on the mystery of divine love by contemplating the icon of the Holy Face".

Robert Mickens