Pope strips Franciscan friars of autonomy

VATICAN CITY, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI has put the friars of the shrine of St. Francis of Assisi under control of church officials, stripping them of autonomy granted in 1969.

During their 36 years of independence, the friars, who follow the teachings of one of the Roman Catholic Church's most loved saints, became known for bold and sometimes controversial moves.

The friars held annual peace marches and invited Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein's top deputies, to Assisi shortly before the invasion of Iraq.

Two peace conferences in 1986 and 2002 angered many conservatives, including Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The first was attended by representatives of many religions, including Muslims, Buddhists and practitioners of American Indian and African religions.

Vittorio Messori, a conservative Catholic commentator, told The Independent the 1986 conference was marked by excesses including allowing African and Indian rituals.

"The Church has a long memory," Messori said. "Joseph Ratzinger has had an account to settle with the friars of Assisi since the inter-religious meeting of 1986. Now he has fixed it."

While conservatives welcomed the news, the newspaper La Repubblica called it "shocking."