Saint Francis's heart knew no boundaries: it went beyond the distances arising from nationality, skin color, or religion. His light continues to shine today on men and women from every part of the world and every faith. The Saint of Assisi has fascinated, and continues to fascinate, Protestants and Catholics, Muslims and Buddhists, believers and atheists. His message of «peace and all good» urges them to seek common ground so that they can become promoters of peace in the different social settings in which they live.

The friars, the brothers: an unexpected gift

In his Testament, after recounting his encounter with lepers, Francis states: «And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what I should do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the form of the holy Gospel». The friars are a gift from God to Francis. Of course, the new situation that arose presented some difficulties. No one could tell him what the right thing to do was, so Francis asked the Lord for help. The Little Poor Man also teaches us today how to live in fraternity; he teaches us that the brothers and sisters God places on our path are a gift and should be loved and welcomed just as they are, with their strengths and weaknesses. It is not always easy, but Saint Francis shows us the path to follow.

A message of peace and fraternity that has crossed the centuries

Saint Francis's message of peace and fraternity has crossed the centuries and reached us. It is an extremely relevant message in a world like ours, marked by conflicts and wars, individualism, and selfishness.
For Francis, there can be no fraternity unless we accept that we are all children of God. We are brothers and sisters because we are all children of the same Father. No one is a stranger to anyone else. This truly revolutionary realization led him to meet the Sultan of Egypt. Having arrived in Palestine, he presented himself to Sultan Al-Malik al-Kamil, who, after receiving him with honor, listened to him with interest. The sultan was not converted, but Francis showed that a dialogue of love is possible between the two great religions that share roots in Abraham.
Let us make Francis's dream our own, opening ourselves to our brothers and sisters, welcoming everyone with an open heart, care, and attention. Let us never stop hoping for a new humanity rooted in God, who is Love.