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The Oct. 27 gathering of religious leaders in Assisi to discuss global peace will include four leading atheists, but will not include any common prayer.
“It is an exercise of dialogue, and dialogue always respects the specific identity of the people, of individuals,” said Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The October 27 event in Assisi is entitled “Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace” and is being held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first World Day for Peace, begun by Pope John Paul II in 1986.
“The world today, as it did 25 years ago, needs peace,” said Cardinal Turkson adding that “it is time to assess the results and to re-launch our commitment in the face of new challenges.”
Over 300 delegates from 50 countries will set off from the Vatican station on a specially charted train heading for the small Umbrian hill-town from where St. Francis hailed. Upon arrival they will gather at the basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels where delegates will discuss the legacy of previous meetings as well as present challenges. They will also be addressed by Pope Benedict.
Later in the day, the group will make its way to the tomb of St. Francis, where they will renew their commitment to world peace.
Significantly, amongst the 176 delegates from non Judeo-Christian religions, there will be 50 Muslims—nearly five times as many as were present in 1986.
From the Christian world there will be 31 delegations. Included in that number will be important church leaders such as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, as well as key figures from other ecclesial communions such as Archbishop Rowan Williams, head of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
One delegation that will attend for the first time will be a group of atheists, including the Austrian economist Walter Baier and three philosophers – Bodei Remo from Italy, Julia Kristeva from France and Mexico’s Guillermo Hurtado.
Source: CNA
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