Assisi to host Courtyard of the Gentiles dialogue event

(Vatican Radio) The head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi joined the renowned atheist photographer Oliviero Toscani in the Vatican press office on Monday to present a new edition of the ‘Courtyard of the Gentiles’ initiative for dialogue with non-believers.

Philippa Hitchen reports: 

This latest edition of the Courtyard of the Gentiles will talk place from September 23rd to 27th in the Umbrian hill town of Assisi, the second time that the city of St Francis has hosted this international event. The initiative takes its name from the ancient Jewish temple in Jerusalem that had an area dedicated as a place of encounter between Jews and Gentiles, people of all cultures, languages and religious beliefs.

As Cardinal Ravasi pointed out at the press briefing, St Francis was also a man who was unafraid of dialogue: he met with the Sultan of Egypt, welcomed the outcasts like the leper, and saw the whole of creation joined in God’s loving embrace. This encounter in Assisi is focused on the theme of dialogue with all of humanity, reminding us both of our shared membership of one human race and of our need to be more humane, generous and caring as we reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Oliviero Toscani, famous for his colourful and provocative fashion photography, said St Francis was also counter-cultural in the way he presented the Gospel to people of his day. In our age of smart phone technology, he noted that everyone can take pictures and write comments, but to be genuine witnesses of our times means not just looking or judging, but really seeing and understanding how we can contribute to making a better world.

The Assisi event includes some 50 workshops, conferences, concerts and panel discussions that will feature some well-known names such as the director of the Bardo Museum in Tunis, Moncef Ben Moussa, or the Jewish author and sociologist Zygmunt Bauman. Entrance to all events is free but to be sure of a place, you can book online and find more information at www.sanfrancesco.org