I recently went to Israel on two pilgrimages. My experiences in the Holy Land have led me to consider Francis and reflect on his experience there, how he related to people of different faith.
Last year, 2019, marked the eighth centenary of the legendary encounter between St. Francis and the leader of the Muslim army, Sultan Malek al-Kamil. It took place sometime between spring and summer, the year 1219. He arrived in Acre, the port city on the Mediterranean Coast. This was the same city where St. Paul landed after departing from Tyre (Acts 21:7). In the thirteenth century it served as the capital of the Latin Crusader Kingdom. To this day, tourists in the Old City can still visit the quarters of the Franks, Venetians, Pisans, and Genoans recalling their past military and trading presence. Today the city is referred to as Akko by both Jews and Muslims. It is mostly Jewish, as it lies just to the north of Israel’s third largest city, Haifa. But it is only twelve miles to the southern border of Lebanon, and is roughly one third Arabic. There is only one Catholic church in Akko today. Dedicated to St. John and under the Custody of the Franciscans of the Holy Land, it serves the small Latin Christian community that still survives.
0 Comments
|
Bret ThomanCatholic. Franciscan. Married. Father. Pilgrim guide. Writer. Translator. Pilot. Aspiring sailor. Archives
April 2024
|