4-Minute Read
Today is Saturday 17 October and I’m travelling back to Norwich on the late train. I am just returning from Westminster Cathedral Hall, where I was invited to attend Religions as Builders of Peace in the Spirit of Assisi, an event marking forty years since one of the most significant religious gatherings of modern times.
The principal guest was Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. His visit to Britain takes place under the theme Together in Prayer and Dialogue for Peace. At the heart of today’s gathering was the Spirit of Assisi, the conviction that people of different religions can work together for peace while remaining faithful to their own beliefs.
The origins of this spirit lie in an extraordinary meeting on 27 October 1986, when Pope St John Paul II invited Christian leaders and representatives of the world’s religions to Assisi for a World Day of Prayer for Peace. Those gathered prayed according to their own traditions, recognising a shared responsibility for peace without pretending that their religious differences were unimportant.
Today’s gathering began with a keynote address by Cardinal Vincent Nichols who drew upon Pope Francis’ teaching that “time is greater than space”. Francis was making an important distinction between seeking to occupy or control spaces of influence and initiating processes that allow genuine change to develop over time. He cautioned against the temptation to demand immediate results or to believe that progress depends upon our ability to manage every outcome. Instead, he encouraged us to begin worthwhile processes, recognising that their fruits may emerge gradually and in ways we cannot foresee.
It was a particularly encouraging message for those of us involved in ecumenism, where relationships develop slowly, trust must be nurtured and progress is rarely straightforward. Christian unity requires patience, sustained encounter and confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit. We may not live to see the fruits of what we begin, but that does not diminish the importance of beginning.
There followed nine short and deeply moving reflections from representatives of different faiths, each offering something of their own tradition’s understanding of peace. Together, they signed a 2026 Pledge for Peace, renewing a commitment first expressed in 2013.
The pledge was substantial and practical. It rejected violence and terrorism as incompatible with authentic religious faith, affirmed the equal dignity and fundamental rights of every person, and called for education, friendship and dialogue across religious differences. It also recognised the importance of confronting prejudice, addressing poverty and injustice, caring for our common home and working towards reconciliation. Particularly significant was its insistence that differences should never become barriers of fear or hostility, but opportunities for respectful encounter.
Cardinal Koovakad then read through the pledge before addressing the gathering. What I found especially helpful was his understanding of interreligious dialogue, not as a retreat from Christian conviction, but as an opportunity “to witness our faith”. Promoting mutual understanding, respect and peace, he reminded us, is a shared responsibility.
I was particularly taken by his emphasis on friendship. Dialogue begins with people getting to know and trust one another. Friendship creates the conditions in which cooperation becomes possible, even where substantial differences remain. The gathering itself offered a moving illustration of that principle.
For those of us concerned particularly with Christian unity, there is an important lesson here. Ecumenism and interreligious dialogue have different purposes, but both require us to listen seriously, respect difference and build relationships without abandoning our convictions. If Christians are to contribute credibly to peace and reconciliation in a divided world, surely the continuing divisions between our own Churches deserve our attention too.
As I travel home to my wonderful county of Norfolk, always a blessing after a visit to the big smoke, I find myself reflecting on how much can begin with a simple encounter. Across Norfolk and Waveney, relationships between Christians of different traditions often grow through conversations, shared concerns and the willingness to work together.
Forty years after Assisi, today’s gathering reminded me that peace and reconciliation are not simply aspirations but commitments requiring patience, friendship and action. The Spirit of Assisi points us outwards towards people of other faiths, and back towards one another as Christians.
Cardinal Koovakad is very much in my prayers. May God bless his ministry and the work of all those seeking peace through dialogue. And may the Holy Spirit continue to guide our own efforts towards Christian unity, helping us to recognise that even the smallest beginnings can, in God’s time, bear lasting fruit.
Article and photographs by Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney.
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