Pope in Assisi

Yesterday's WaPo had a story on Pope Benedict's visit to Assisi to mark the 800th Anniversary of the conversion of St Francis. As befits the place, the pope apparently use the opportunity to make a very strong plea for peace:

"I consider it my duty to launch from here a pressing and heartfelt appeal for a stop to all armed conflicts that bloody the earth," he said after celebrating an outdoor mass in front of the pink and white stone basilica where the saint is buried.

"May weapons be silenced and may hate give way to love everywhere. May offence give way to forgiveness and discord to unity," he said...

As an interesting aside, I love the WaPo's succinct summation of the life of St Francis: "the medieval playboy who abandoned a life of luxury to embrace poverty, peacemaking and preaching."