Fraternity as Sustainable Future

Cardinal Koovakad states fraternity is the only possible architecture for a sustainable future, linking 1986 Assisi peace prayer to Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

“the human person is greater than any power that seeks to reduce him”

1986 Assisi Peace Prayer

Forty years ago, Pope John Paul II convened the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, the city of St. Francis, to promote interreligious dialogue.

“May the Lord give you peace”

1986 World Context

In 1986, Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain, with the Berlin Wall standing until 1989, and the UN declared it the International Year of Peace.

Pope John Paul II's Choice

Pope John Paul II chose Assisi for the prayer event because St. Francis is recognized as a brother by believers of every religious tradition.

Prayer Without Mixing Rites

Religious leaders prayed separately within their communities, then gathered in Assisi to pray without mixing rites or ambiguous common prayer.

“each tradition prayed according to its own way, while the others listened in silence”

Spirit of Assisi

The Spirit of Assisi has been revived through meetings by Popes since 1986, including Pope Francis signing the Document on Human Fraternity in 2019.

Pope Leo XIV's Encyclical

Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas addresses war, technology, and the need for fraternity as the only path to sustainable peace.

AI and War

Pope Leo XIV states no algorithm makes war morally acceptable, as AI only makes conflict faster and more impersonal without reducing its inhumanity.

“no algorithm exists that can make war morally acceptable”

27 October 2026

On 27 October 2026, Pope Leo XIV will return to Assisi to commemorate the 1986 peace prayer and the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

Next Meeting

The Spirit of Assisi meetings continue on 26 November 2026 with a talk on St. Francis and peace by Sandra Migliore from the University of Turin.

Fraternity as Path

Cardinal Koovakad emphasizes that fraternity is the only path to sustainable peace, as no other model can endure: not the balance of terror, arms race, or technological domination.

“neither the balance of terror, nor the arms race, nor technological domination without responsibility”

No Room for Sacralised Hatred

Pope Leo XIV states that the Spirit of Assisi shows believers can draw from authentic traditions without room for sacralised hatred.

“those who use the name of God to legitimise terrorism, violence or war betray his face”

Prayer and Commitment

Cardinal Koovakad states prayer and commitment are not alternatives but intertwined, as fraternity is the only path to sustainable peace.

“prayer and commitment, therefore, are not alternatives, but intertwined”