As visitors enter the first museum gallery, they will learn about the Declaration of Friendship Across Religions, which was recently agreed to by the world’s foremost faith leaders, including Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, and many others for the sake of interfaith harmony.  As individuals travel through this area, they will encounter opportunities to be introduced to the leaders of the world’s many faiths. In so doing, they can choose to delve into certain leaders’ own personal stories, and hear their words of wisdom, prayer, compassion and fellowship.

This beautiful, interactive space will delve deeply into St. Francis’ high ideals and love for all of nature, revealing a new sense of kinship with the world around us.  Friendship is extended to the earth and all the elements and to all beings. This is a vision of which all religions partake. Friendship and prayer, as these are reflected in the inspiration of all faiths are the theme of this hall.

From a touch panel in this very room, every visitor may choose to have a Laudato Si tree planted in their name, or the name of a loved one, in multiple geographic locations, putting prayers into action for a healthier, more peaceful and sustainable world.

After passing through a transitional bridge that prepares the visitor to move from the space of the profane to the sacred, the visitor passes through a portal reminiscent of a gate to the Old City of Jerusalem. Entry into Jerusalem is entry into a series of spiritual qualities associated with Jerusalem, its spiritual reality and the experience of prayer. The First Gallery contains ten such “portals”, each a small learning center, in which the featured spiritual quality is appreciated from the perspective of multiple religions. The various “Portals of Virtue” – such as love, faith, charity and more – culminate in the “Peace Portal” where the visitor has a chance to reflect on Jerusalem and its multi-religious message and aspiration for peace. The “Hall of Peace” is cultivated as a learning experience of entry into prayer and aspiring for Peace in Jerusalem and worldwide.

In 1219, Christian forces were fighting Muslims in the brutal 5^th Crusade in Egypt. Entire populations were eradicated as violent engagements spared none.

Deeply pained by the suffering, St. Francis crossed enemy lines with the hope of forming a friendship with the ruler, Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil, and perhaps even developing a path towards peace.

While he was at first nearly killed by the opposing factions, the Sultan soon opened his arms in hospitality to St. Francis. During their time together—which would span several weeks– both men were deeply touched by each other’s faith traditions. St. Francis eloquently preached the Gospel. At the same time, he was profoundly impressed by the devoted prayer lives of his Muslim hosts, who prayed five times a day. Later, he would also write Praises of God, which were based on Islam’s 99 names of God.

While their time together wouldn’t end the crusades, it would lead to later acts of mercy.  Eventually, the Sultan would save the lives of starving crusaders by ensuring they were provided with food and shelter.

To this day, the meeting of the Saint and the Sultan is remembered for its poignant importance, propelling Assisi into becoming a global center of interfaith friendship and engagement.

Following the example of St. Francis, several Interfaith Prayer Summits have been convoked in Assisi by consecutive Popes, bringing together the leaders of our world’s many faiths.

The story of the Sultan and the Saint, and the Gatherings of the World’s Faiths that would follow, will be brought to life through immersive experiences at the Global House of Friendship and Hope, including through the display of historic records, video and interactive exhibits that put you there.

Prayer is a fundamental expression of the fact that we are not alone. It means more than our relationship with God. A person at prayer affirms beliefs that go to the fundamental structure of the cosmos, relationship with elements of nature, relationship with higher planes of being, an understanding of life, death and the afterlife, and dimensions of reality that are implicated in the prayer experience. In this hall, the “cosmovision” of prayer of many faiths will be crowned by an experiential entry into one such cosmic prayer, St. Francis’ noted prayer ’Laudato Si.”

In this circular space all major world religions are represented in arch-shaped “learning chapels.” Each chapel allows visitors to have a taste of prayer in the individual religion, through a mix of Virtual Reality (see next page), live hook-up to prayer spaces and educational media. The ensemble is ringed by a cyclorama of media projections of iconic places of spirituality of the religions of the world.

At the core of this space is a “communication center.” Featured as the heart of humanity, people here communicate with individuals in other locations, sharing prayer, making friends, establishing connections locally and globally.

In each of Hall 10’s Learning Chapels,  visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the prayer traditions of the world’s religions.

Virtual Reality headsets will offer a profoundly immersive experience, including an introduction to the prayer traditions and holy music of each faith. Each VR area will be dedicated to the prayers and faith heritages of a singular religion, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Opportunities for deeper relaxation, contemplation and meditation will also be presented, through immersive VR experiences that include instruction, visuals and soothing music representing each belief, here and on the fourth floor of the Global House of Friendship and Hope.

No other city in the world means as much to the prayer life of as many faithful globally as Jerusalem. A meeting place of heaven and earth, it is hallowed by three faiths and recognized by all spiritual beings as a potent spiritual center. St. Francis was entrusted with care of its Christian holy sites, thereby creating a bridge between Assisi and Jerusalem. In this prayer hall, prayer in Jerusalem will come alive, by the use of media and virtual reality to grant the visitor a prayer experience from and in Jerusalem, thereby following in the footsteps of St. Francis and suggesting a movement of HOPE from Assisi to Jerusalem.

In this serene area, participants are invited to compose their own prayers for world peace and the needs of their hearts. Each prayer can be sent by their hands into a beautiful interactive vortex that will resemble a cloud of smoke rising to the heavens.

This inspirational space provides visitors with the opportunity to be inspired to pray, individually or collectively, as a follow-up to their learning experience. An immersive media experience featuring inspirational, blended images of people of different religions in prayer around the world sets the mood for visitors to find their own moment of prayer. Under a sheltering tented canopy, the projected sense of sky above constitutes an invitation to expand our consciousness and to reach out in prayer.  Following an initial media presentation, time is given for visitors to reflect in silence or in word, individually or collectively as they see fit, and to express their prayers for Jerusalem, the world and the wellbeing of all.

Visitors moving to the upper floors will also be moving from exhibitions on prayer to dedicated prayer spaces. Theory leads to practice. Our prayer rooms provide the opportunity for entering the prayer lives of specific religious communities. Each is devoted to another faith and will be a place for members of those faiths to gather in prayer. Videos, VR technology, and live hookup to holy sites associated with the particular religion will provide access to the spiritual experiences of individual religious communities even when no live prayer takes place.