Franciscans have had a presence in the Arab world since the early days of the Order’s founding. It began with the first missionary journey to Morocco that lead to the first Franciscan martyrs; then St. Francis of Assisi’s own journey to Egypt and his meeting with the Sultan, and to the friars receiving responsibility for the holy sites in the Middle East. So it should not come as a surprise that there is a story of Franciscans taking cover in Tripoli, Libya, from the street fighting taking place there. This is the link to the Catholic News Service story.
