Love, forgiveness in Assisi

Swimming against a global tide of religious violence and political polarization, about 550 religious and humanitarian leaders in September met in Assisi, Italy — the birthplace of St. Francis — to propose a new way forward: love and forgiveness. The aim of the "global gathering" was to put those values to work in some of the most hate-filled and unforgiving places on Earth. For more than a year and a half the sponsor, Fetzer Institute, poured $4.5 million into 16 advisory councils, which highlighted 150 exemplary projects, including parents in Uganda forgiving rebels who abducted, tortured or killed their children; bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families working to reconcile with each other; and San Quentin prison inmates learning how to listen to each other and forgive themselves.