Prayer for Peace with the spirit of Saint Francis on the 800th Anniversary of his Death
A moment of prayer for peace with Saint Francis on the 800th anniversary of his death was accompanied by reflections from Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, on Friday evening, October 16, during the International Conference on the theme “Catholic Action: Synodality and Mission,” which also included the Ninth Ordinary Assembly of the International Forum of Catholic Action (FIAC).
The gathering took place at the Vittorio Bachelet Auditorium of the Domus Mariae in Rome, from October 15 to 18, 2026.
Sr. Petrini invited participants to ask the Lord to make them instruments of his peace in a world filled with conflict. Drawing on the example of Saint Francis, who experienced war, suffering, illness, and rejection, she urged them to learn not to respond to violence with further violence, to resentment with more resentment, or to indifference with further indifference.
During the prayer service, participants also listened to testimonies from representatives of countries affected by conflict.
Opening the proceedings of the Ninth Ordinary Assembly, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, emphasized that “formation in synodality means involving the People of God in the process of discerning the current situation of the Church, involving them in assuming new responsibilities at every level of the Church, and involving them in participating in the evangelizing mission at the service of men and women of today.”
For the occasion, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, sent a video message in which he thanked the members of Catholic Action for the solidarity they had shown toward the people of the Holy Land.
The Cardinal observed that “the hatred and mistrust that have marked the lives of the people of the Holy Land remain very strong and deeply rooted.” He stressed that rebuilding trust requires “gestures of closeness that bring about real change in people's lives. This is far from simple in such a complex and difficult situation. But we must not give up.”
The International Forum of Catholic Action (FIAC) is an international body recognized by the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. It brings together associations established at the national level, known either as Catholic Action or by other names.
Originating from an idea that emerged during the 1987 Synod and encouraged by the then President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Blessed Cardinal Eduardo Francisco Pironio, the FIAC currently comprises member associations from 26 countries and observers from approximately 30 countries.