Forty years ago, on 27 October 1986, Pope John Paul II brought together leaders of the world’s various religions on the hill of Assisi for a day of prayer for peace. That event, which remains unique in history, was not simply a World Parliament of Religions, as had first been held in 1893. Nor was it a matter of renouncing one’s own truth of faith, reducing differences to a common denominator; rather, it was a testimony that one’s own uniqueness in belief was capable of embracing the other. Religious difference was celebrated as a practice of peace and as an inspiring encounter, enabling a deeper discovery of one’s own riches through engagement with the other.

It is somewhat in the same spirit of ‘reflection illuminated by diversity’ that DoSt-I is pleased to invite Mahmoodreza Esfandiar, an Iranian researcher and intellectual, formerly a professor of interreligious comparative studies at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, who will, in an ideal sense, bring St Francis of Assisi and Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī into dialogue, two mystics of great significance in the Catholic Christian and Sunni Islamic traditions respectively. Both emerged in the turbulent thirteenth century and articulated spiritual paths grounded in love, humility, inner freedom, peace, and reverence for creation. Though their paths differed, they were seekers of God who likely often found their insights converging, even though they never actually met.

The talk explores four shared themes: poverty as freedom from the ego and possessiveness; fidelity to a disciplined spiritual path; peace with others and the natural world; and prayer as a living relationship with God. Rather than suggesting that the two traditions are identical, it examines how their distinct spiritual visions can illuminate one another and speak meaningfully to the spiritual, ethical, and ecological crises of the contemporary world.

Mahmoodreza Esfandiar is a Full Professor of Comparative Religion and Mysticism. He currently serves as a Part-time Research Professor at the Encyclopaedia Islamica Foundation and is a Former Professor at Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has held key university leadership positions, including Chancellor and Vice Chancellor. Dr. Esfandiar holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Religion and Mysticism. His research focuses on Islamic philosophy, Sufism, interfaith dialogue, comparative religion, and the dialogue between spirituality and psychology. He is the author of numerous books, encyclopedia entries, and peer-reviewed articles, including The History of Sufism and The Sun in the Mirror of the Moon: Rumi’s Life, Works, Thoughts and Heritage. He has lectured extensively at universities and international forums across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.