A Critique of John Paul II’s 1986 Assisi Interfaith Prayer Meeting

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I argue that Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi on 27 October 1986 contradicted traditional Catholic teaching on prayer with non-Catholics. The meeting brought together leaders of several religions, who were given separate spaces to pray according to their traditions. I cite John Paul II’s remarks describing the gathering as an invitation to pray, rather than an interreligious conference focused on discussion. In my view, the inclusion of non-Christian religious rites placed different faiths on equal footing and amounted to apostasy and idolatry. I also argue that Catholics who accepted his authority and later canonisation should reconsider the implications of the event.

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