Assisi, Italy, Aug 11, 2016 / 16:24 pm
If a prominent imam is right, Pope Francis will visit Assisi Sept. 19 for a major international interreligious meeting.
Mohamed Abdel Qader, the Imam of Perugia and Umbria – the Italian region that is home to Assisi – raised the possibility last week in an interview with the Italian Bishops Conference's television TV2000.
Imam Qader was in Assisi when Pope Francis visited to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the "perdono" indulgence. This plenary indulgence, established in 1216 under Pope Honorius III, is given to everyone who goes to Assisi, goes to confession, receives Holy Communion and prays according the Pope's intentions on the days of Aug. 1-2 each year.
The imam attended the Aug. 4 ceremony at the St. Mary of the Angels Basilica in Assisi. He exchanged a quick greeting with Pope Francis before he left.