ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
PEACE, SCIENCE, AND THE ART OF SOLIDARITY
Prof. Massimo Maria Caneva
AESI President
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ASSISI 26 September 2026
Pope Leo XIV UNESCO PARIS
” Amid the many complex and pressing issues of the present time, our world regards international institutions with mixed feelings. On the one hand, these institutions are expected to respond to challenges that no individual State can face alone. On the other hand, these same institutions are experiencing a crisis of effectiveness, especially in situations where dialogue is seen as an obstacle to action rather than a resource for peace, a charade rather than an opportunity to seek the common good together. In this case, we see the urgent need to promote a virtue that seems as greatly desired as it is rarely found, namely the virtue of trust. Trust that differences do not necessarily constitute a threat; trust that honest dialogue can bring about a greater good than what individuals could achieve on their own.”
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In his address at UNESCO in Paris, Pope Leo XIV reiterated the urgent need to promote a culture of dialogue and trust. There is an urgent need to reform the institutions of both international and national organizations by fostering trust, a trust that leads to sincere and selfless dialogue centered on the dignity of the person and the common good.
In this international context, to address the challenges facing the international community today, there is an urgent need for a strategy in which states and organizations—including those of the United Nations and the European Union—promote a global commitment to a culture of dialogue and solidarity. In this regard, university cooperation is of the utmost importance, as it instills in the younger generations a sense of responsibility and encourages their participation in resolving crises and promoting peace.
A true renewal of the United Nations must begin with an internal political, cultural, and diplomatic process capable not only of addressing international crises but also of promoting preventive diplomacy to safeguard human dignity. This means placing at the center of the United Nations’ strategies a renewed commitment to the common good and operational practices consistent with this goal.
For many years, AESI has been promoting these strategies, recognizing that only through a consistent approach that combines analysis with responsible action—supported by preventive diplomacy that is effective in resolving crises—will it be possible to reestablish an international dialogue capable of finding solutions to the challenges facing the international community today.
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, a Students’ Delegation from the International Seminar for Peace, led by Professor Massimo Maria Caneva (AESI President and Director of Rome International Seminar for Peace) visited ASSISI to explore the theme of St. Francis’s diplomacy and to join in prayer for the one whom AESI considers and venerates as the greatest saint and ambassador of peace in history !
The meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt, al-Malik al-Kamil, took place in 1219 during the Fifth Crusade in Damietta, Egypt. Francis crossed the front lines unarmed, accompanied by Brother Illuminato, to speak with the Muslim leader. The dialogue: The friar presented the Christian faith and sought a peaceful exchange, refusing any gift of money or wealth. Hagiographic tradition (and Giotto’s fresco in Assisi) recounts that Francis declared himself ready to walk into the fire alongside the Islamic priests to prove the truth of his faith. The Sultan was impressed by Francis’s gentleness and courage; he received him with respect and granted him safe passage to visit the Holy Land.
“The crusade ended in failure, and the Christian warriors returned to their homes. But ten years later, al-Malik al-Kamil met another Christian who knew Francis’s homeland: he had in fact been born not far from Assisi, in Jesi in the Marche region. In 1229, the sultan and Emperor Frederick II signed the first known pact for the peaceful demilitarization of Jerusalem, which lasted for three lustri, until 1244. A pact in the name of a possible peace. Let’s say no more; let’s not venture into hypotheses that might make for a good novel but serve no purpose in history. Al-Kamil and Frederick both knew Francis, albeit in different ways.” (Avvenire Franco Cardini)
Students from universities in the Middle East (including Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Cyprus) and Eastern Europe and the Balkans (Sarajevo, Zagreb, Podgorica, Skopje, and Kyiv) gathered in Assisi. For these students, it was an important and unique experience in their lives, because, as an Israeli student from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem put it, “It was only thanks to this Rom International Seminar program that we were able to meet college students from other countries near us.” “It is only thanks to this international seminar that we were able to meet Israeli students and, together, get to know one another and engage in dialogue for peace,” said a Palestinian student.
After Holy Mass celebrated in the ancient Chapel of Fra Elia at the Sacred Franciscan Convent of Assisi, the student delegation visited the Cathedral of St. Francis and deepened their understanding of his spirit of poverty and peace, pausing before several important paintings by Giotto: explained by Professor Caneva, president of AESI and director of the seminary, the key moments in the life of St. Francis were highlighted: his renunciation of worldly possessions before his father, as he gave up his family’s wealth, and later the moment depicted by Giotto in which Pope Innocent III dreams of the future of the Church and the greatness of the “poor man of Assisi,” who supports the reconstruction of St. John Lateran Cathedral in Rome with his own shoulder!
“Peace, Science, and the Art of Solidarity this is the message of the diplomacy of St. Francis of Assisi that must be kept in mind and pursued by the younger generations and, at present, shared by those responsible for maintaining the international balance of power within the United Nations and the European Union. Without the protection of human dignity, there can never be true peace; and without the younger generations’ awareness that the historical future entrusted to them lies in their present commitment to building the society of tomorrow.
