Delegation of Islamic scholars receives warm welcome in Assisi

By Vatican News

The Order of Friars Minor Conventual welcomed a delegation from Hawzah Ilmiyyah, representing the Islamic Seminaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the Sacred Convent of St. Francis of Assisi in the city of the saint in central Italy.

The meeting was held from 30 January to 5 February.

A follow-up of the meeting in Qom 

According to a press release issued on Monday, the visit marked the culmination of a journey that began almost two years ago, following a meeting in Qom, Iran, the holy city of Shiite Islam, between Archbishop Dominique Mathieu, OFM Conv, of Tehran-Ispahan for the Latins, and Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi, President of Hawzah Ilmiyyah of the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the meeting, Archbishop Mathieu invited Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi to also visit the Franciscan communities in Italy, particularly in Assisi.

The delegation from Hawzah Ilmiyyah included Ayatollah Sheikh Mohsen Faghih Habibi, a reputable professor of advanced Islamic studies; Ayatollah Sheikh Hossein Rahimian Movahhed, Head of the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Iranian Seminaries; Prof. Dr Seyed Mofid Hosseini Kouhsari, Vice President of Communications and International Affairs of Iranian Seminaries; Sheikh Mohammad Sadegh Amin Din, Director of the Office of Religions and Denominations of Iranian Seminaries; and Sheikh Hossein Molla Nouri, Delegate of Cultural and Religious Affairs of Iranian Seminaries.

Visits and discussions

The delegation was welcomed by Brothers Silvestro Bejan, Tomasz Szymczak, and Andre Marie, OFM Conv, at Rome Fiumicino Airport on the morning of January 30.  After the reception at the Sacred Convent, the guided tour of the Basilica of San Francesco took place on the same day, particularly focusing on the crypt that houses the Tomb of the Saint of Assisi.

The following day included visits to the Seraphic city, the International Franciscan Center for Dialogue (CEFID, at the Franciscanum Convent), the Basilica of Santa Chiara, and the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis at the Sanctuary of Spoliation.

After meeting with the Mayor of Assisi In the early afternoon, the delegation met with the Franciscan community in the Chapter Hall of the Sacred Convent to discuss several topics, notably the encounter between Saint Francis and Sultan Malik al-Kāmil during the Crusade in Damietta (Egypt) and the concept of poverty and justice in Shiite Islam.

On the morning of Thursday, February 1, a visit to the Library of the Sacred Convent took place guided by the director, Friar Carlo Bottero, OFM Conv.

The visit concluded with a farewell from the Custodian of the Sacred Convent, Brother Marco Moroni, OFMConv, at the end of lunch, and the exchange of gifts, including a Persian carpet depicting Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. Before departure, through the medieval antiphon Salve Sancte Pater, the Sacred Convent community prayed for world peace and invoked the intercession of Saint Francis on the members of the Iranian delegation and their land.

In November, Pope Francis encouraged Franciscans to build bridges of peace and dialogue. The Iranian delegation’s visit to the Sacred Convent responds to that invitation, which proves essential at this historical moment, the press release concluded.