What St. Francis’ Medieval Ideas Mean in Today’s World (Tilburg University website, 24 September 2026).
What can the ideas of Francis of Assisi mean for contemporary themes such as inclusion, peace, and sustainability? Historian and theologian Krijn Pansters explores this question from the perspective of the Franciscan tradition. The occasion for the conversation with Krijn Pansters is the St. Francis Lecture “Bringing the Faraway Closer” on October 1, organized by the Franciscan Study Center at Tilburg University to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis. The central question is how we can preserve humanity and hope in times of war and violence. War journalist Minka Nijhuis will try to answer that question from a Franciscan perspective and on the basis of her own experiences in conflict zones.
Read the interview here.
The Francis Lecture Bringing the Faraway Closer (in Dutch) by Minka Nijhuis will take place on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 20:00 hrs in Utrecht. The lecture (in Dutch) will be published on October 1 here.
