The eighth edition of the Cortile di Francesco takes place in Assisi from 2 to 4 September. Personalities of civil society, the religious world and culture will discuss, from 2 to 4 September, on the theme of the eighth edition: “Eternal and the present time”. Over 30 meetings, special guided tours, musical events, artistic vertical dance performance by the “il Posto” company on the wall of the bell tower of the Basilica of San Francesco, creative workshops for children and the theatrical performance by Monica Guerritore.
The Cortile di Francesco 2022 will be developed in two sections: the Eternal where the speakers will deal with the great and different spiritual and cultural visions; and the present time where we will analyze the major criticalities that mark the contemporary world: climate change, war conflicts, migration, work, economic and energy crises. Present among others: Card. Matteo Zuppi, President of the CEI, Pasquale Tridico, President of INPS, Fabrizio Barca, economist, Luigi Sbarra, CISL secretary general, Flavio Caroli, art historian, Roberto Battiston, former president of the Italian Space Agency , the philosopher Donatella Di Cesare, the historian Franco Cardini, Riccardo Clerici, Head of UNHCR, and the theologian Vito Mancuso.
The opening of the Cortile di Francesco will be held on 2 September at 3.30 pm in the Press Room of the Sacro Convento with fra Marco Moroni, Custos of the Sacred Convent, fra Giulio Cesareo, Director of the Sacro Convento communication office, fra Riccardo Giacon, Director of the San Francesco magazine, and Paolo Ansideri, founder of Oicos reflections. There are four appointments on the first day of the Courtyard which will end at 9 pm with the presentation of the book “Philosophy of paper” by Massimo Donà preceded by a medieval re-enactment by the paper masters of the market of the gaite of Bevagna, in the cloister Sisto IV, where it will be possible to attend and participate in the creation of the paper with ancient methods.
On 3 September the following will take place among others: Mons. Felice Accrocca (10am Press Room) with a lectio entitled “Francis, the Almighty, Sora Death …”; Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (11 am in the Sala della Pace) in a meeting on conflicts and wars in the 21st century moderated by the journalist Nello Scavo; the lectio by physicist Roberto Battiston (12pm Press Room) entitled “From the days of Genesis to Dalì’s clocks: reflections on time in the third millennium”; and at 6 pm in the lower square of San Francesco fra Riccardo Giacon will talk with migrants from Eritrea, Ukraine, Syria and Palestine who will bring their dramatic testimonies.
September 4 will be a day full of events: “Borders: migrants, refugees, rejected” (3 pm Press Room) with Laurence Hart, Director of the Mediterranean Coordination Office of IOM, Riccardo Clerici, of UNHCR, Sarah Martelli, of UNICEF and the journalist Stefano Leszczynski; Franco Cardini “What moves history” (5 pm Press Room); “Work: employment and dignity” (at 6 pm Sala della Pace) with Don Marco Pagniello, Director of Caritas Italiana, Pasquale Tridico, President of INPS, and Luigi Sbarra, Cisl General Secretary.
The Cortile di Francesco will end, as every year, in the extraordinary setting of the Upper Church of the Basilica of San Francesco. Music, literature and spirituality will merge, offering an original interpretation of the theme of the eighth edition. At 9.15 pm the final event, entitled “E mi sovvien l’eterno”, will intertwine the notes of Symphony No. 64 by Haydn, performed by the orchestra of the Musical Chapel of the Basilica of San Francesco conducted by fra Peter Hrdy, with the verses of some of the founding fathers of our culture: Giacomo Leopardi, Lucretius, William Shakespeare, Dante Alighieri and San Francesco played by Monica Guerritore among the most important interpreters of contemporary Italian theater.
Assisi, at the Sacred Convent to talk about eternal and present time at the Cortile di Francesco