Photo: © Vatican Media · Assisi, 27 October 1986, John Paul II and the religious leaders

Pluriel webinars · 26 Nov and 17 Dec 2026 · Online

The Interreligious Meeting of Assisi, 40 Years On

  • Thu 26 Nov · 6-8 pm
  • Thu 17 Dec · 6-8 pm
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01About

On Thursday 26 November and Thursday 17 December 2026, from 6 to 8 pm (Paris time), a two-part webinar series revisits the World Day of Prayer for Peace that John Paul II convened in Assisi on 27 October 1986, forty years on.

On that day, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu leaders, along with representatives of other religious traditions, gathered in Assisi to pray for peace, each according to their own tradition. This unprecedented gesture opened a new chapter in dialogue between religions, including Christian-Muslim dialogue, and the Community of Sant’Egidio has kept it alive ever since as an annual meeting. Forty years later, the speakers will look back at the historical context of the meeting, its theological significance, the question of praying together, its resonance in other religions and its continuation in the Mediterranean meetings.

The series is organised by the Institute of Science and Theology of Religions (ISTR) of the Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), the ISTR of the Institut Catholique de la Méditerranée (ICM, Marseille), the Facultés Loyola Paris and the Centre for the Study of Cultures and Religions (CECR) of the Faculty of Theology at the Catholic University of Lyon (UCLy), in partnership with Pluriel, which hosts both sessions on its videoconferencing platform.

"More perhaps than ever before in history, the intrinsic link between an authentic religious attitude and the great good of peace has become evident to all."

John Paul II, address in the Lower Piazza of the Basilica of Saint Francis, Assisi, 27 October 1986

02Programme

Provisional programme, subject to change.

26Nov

Session 1

Thursday · 6-8 pm (Paris time)

Moderator: to be confirmed

  • Catherine Marin
    Catherine Marin ISTR, Institut Catholique de ParisThe historical context of the 1986 Assisi meeting
  • Xavier Gué
    Xavier Gué Director of the ISTR, Institut Catholique de ParisA theological reading of John Paul II's address to the Roman Curia of 22 December 1986 on the meaning of Assisi
  • Sylvie Robert
    Sylvie Robert Facultés Loyola ParisPraying together: its place in relation to encounter and dialogue, its opportunities and risks, and its theological meaning
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17Dec

Session 2

Thursday · 6-8 pm (Paris time)

Moderator: Sylvie Robert, Facultés Loyola Paris

  • Michel Younès
    Michel Younès Dean of the Faculty of Theology at UCLy and General Coordinator of Pluriel"Assisi 40 Years On: What Remains of the Spirit of Assisi?"View researcher profile
  • Jean-Dominique Durand
    Jean-Dominique Durand historian, Professor Emeritus at Jean Moulin University Lyon 3The impact of Assisi on other religions
  • Alexis Leproux
    Alexis Leproux ISTR, Institut Catholique de la MéditerranéeFrom Assisi to the Mediterranean meetings
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03Practical information

  • Time6 to 8 pm, Paris time
  • OnlineJoining link emailed before each session
  • LanguageFrench
  • FreeRegistration required, for one or both sessions

04Registration

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05Organisers and partners

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