As part of an annual celebration of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the town of Assisi, Italy, hosted its annual March for Peace Oct. 7. Some 6,000 people from around the country gathered outside the Basilica of St. Francis, carrying flags and signs proclaiming "pace" (peace).

Among the participants was a large group of Buddhist monks --- bearing a photo of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan flags --- who arrived in the piazza to cheering and the sounds Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" played by a youth band from Cisternino.

This year's Assisi Peace March, themed "All Human Rights for All," was held in coordination with the Nairobi International Peace March series, sponsored by Africa Peace Point, a seven-year-old organization that seeks to empower grassroots and marginalized communities in Africa through collaboration with partners. The Nairobi International Peace Rally is hosted in collaboration with other peace initiatives in and outside Kenya "who share a common desire to enhance a culture of peace."