The Istanbul Fraternity celebrates Damietta in France

On the occasion of the eighth centenary of the meeting of St. Francis with the Sultan al-Kamil which occurs this year, the Franciscan Friars of the International Fraternity for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Dialogue in Turkey, organised a pilgrimage with a fraternity of Dervishes - Muslims of Turkey to make sense of this historic event. They were invited by Br. Gwenolé Jeusset, OFM, a member of the first Franciscan fraternity for dialogue in Turkey, who now lives in France. They travelled the streets and churches of France from 9 – 14 March 2019 (Lyon, Nantes and Paris) to show that our God meets all people and that Francis of Assisi who crossed the lines of the Crusader army, besieging Damietta, to go to meet Al-Malik, becomes a symbol, an example of overcoming barriers between peoples, cultures, and religions.