The Italian Embassy and the Apostolic Nunciature in Bolivia, in collaboration with the Franciscan Order, organized a Conference on the topic “Saint Francis: A Response to Current Challenges” to commemorate the eighth centenary of the death of the Saint of Assisi.
The event took place in the Basilica adjacent to the Convent of Saint Francis, in the historic centre of the city of La Paz, a place that is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in Bolivia, the cloister of which was restored by Italian Development Cooperation.
The Italian Ambassador to La Paz, Fabio Messineo, opened the conference by illustrating the historical period in which Saint Francis lived – between the late 11th and early 12th centuries – during which rich Communes flourished under papal and imperial power.
The theological exposition was preceded and followed by a concert of sacred music by Italian composers, as well as a performance in Italian and Spanish of Riz Ortolani’s “Fratello sole, sorella luna,” the theme song from Zeffirelli’s 1972 movie “Brother Sun Sisten Moon”
