They ventured into the heart of darkness, to a country that lay beyond the borders of the known world, from which hordes of death-bearing horsemen had come, predators and cannibals who left behind them the ruins of settlements and towns. “We encountered countless human skulls and bones lying in the fields,” recalled one of the expedition’s participants. The Franciscans who set out eastward for Asia at the behest of the pope 770 years ago in order to know and understand the threat facing Europe possessed remarkable courage. Today, their stories sound like a timely warning.
POSŁANIEC ŚW. ANTONIEGO
The lack of historical memory about these heroic Franciscans is astounding. They were the first Europeans to unveil the hitherto unknown civilizations of Asia, trailblazing and establishing intercultural contacts. Marco Polo, universally famous for his visit to the Mongol Khan’s court, was born nine years after they set out on their journey.
