800 years on, St Francis’ tunic returns to Egypt

By Joseph Tulloch

When St. Francis made his famous journey to Egypt in 1219, he wore the humble tunic that would become characteristic of his disciples.

Now, 800 years later, this tunic – or part of it – is back in the country.

A piece of the garment – which counts as a second-class relic of the saint – arrived in Cairo on the 23rd Can. He then headed to Alexandria, and will also visit Minya, Assiut, Qena and Luxor before returning to Italy on the 2sd June.

A Coptic Catholic liturgy held to celebrate the arrival of the relic

In the footsteps of Saint Francis

The relic belongs to the Franciscan friars from the Italian region of Tuscany, who bring it to different countries on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the stigmata of Saint Francis.

Speaking to Vatican News, Anthony Amen, youth representative for the Egyptian Franciscans, said the event aimed to “bring back the spirituality of St. Francis.”

He added that he hoped the encounter with the relics would inspire the Church in Egypt to “follow in the footsteps of St. Francis.”

The reliquary, holding a fragment of the tunic of Saint Francis

The saint and the sultan

St. Francis' visit to Egypt is best known today for his meeting with Sultan al-Kamel, who was the ruler of Egypt at the time.

In the midst of the Crusades, the saint traveled behind enemy lines to meet the Muslim leader and stayed with him for several days.

Amen said visiting the relic was “always a reminder for us to take the initiative to maintain dialogue between ourselves and each other.”

He said Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt had taken a “big step forward” over the past decade under the leadership of President al-Sisi.

And, he added, much progress has also been made in recent years, precisely thanks to the 800th anniversary of Francis' meeting with the sultan.

Dialogues took place, he explained, between leaders and youth representatives of the Catholic Church and Al-Azhar University in Cairo, one of the most prestigious centers of Muslim education in the world.

“From this moment,” Amen said, “we entered a new phase of interreligious dialogue between Muslims and Christians in Egypt. »