Fr Dr Antony Situma, Rome

An International Conference on interreligious dialogue was concluded on 4th June 2024 with a pilgrimage to Assisi. The conference which was sponsored by the Focolare Movement, began on Friday 31st May at Castel Gandolfo where 400 people representing world faiths reunited to reflect upon the need for cohesion and world peace. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Baha’is, representatives of the various African traditional religions from over 40 world nations gathered under the banner of world religions in dialogue. The theme of the conference was ‘One Human Family’.
On Monday 3rd June 2024, the president of the Focolare movement led the participants of the international interreligious conference to the Vatican for a special audience with Pope Francis. It was an incredible experience and the participants never ceased to applaud the Pope as he entered the great Sala Clementina to address them. The Pope began by reiterating his commitment to pray for peace in the Holy Land as he personally addressed the President of the Focolare movement, Margaret Karram, who is a Palestinian Catholic born in Haifa, Israel.
The Pope noted that it is a revolutionary journey, an experience animated by the Holy Spirit which has led many men and women to transcend dialogue by sharing the dream of a more united world, in the harmony of diversity.
For the Pope, the presence of the participants was a “source of joy and a source of consolation, especially in this time of conflict, when religion is often misused in order to fuel division.”
For Pope Francis, interreligious friendships are a consolation amid wars and skirmishes in the world today. The foundation of this initiative of interreligious dialogue is “the love of God expressed through mutual love, listening, trust, hospitality and getting to know one another, all the while fully respecting each other’s identities,” the Pope insisted.
Pope Francis thanked the Focolare movement for the perseverance in “fostering unity with people of non-Christian religions who share the spirituality of unity.”
After the audience with the Pope in the Vatican, the participants set off as pilgrims towards Assisi, the city of Francis, the apostle of peace and integral ecology; the epicenter of all ecclesial initiatives regarding peace and interreligious dialogue. The conference was a gathering of people from different religions who have embraced the spirituality of the Focolare movement.

• [Rev. Fr. Antony Situma Nalianya belongs to Catholic Diocese of Kitale, KENYA. He holds a doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome.]