In the early hours of Tuesday, the 25th November, 2025, Br. Francesco Antonelli, OFM, a 96-year-old priest, who dedicated much of his religious and priestly life to the service of the Order and the Holy See in the context of the causes of beatification and canonization, died in the Provincial Infirmary of Fiesole (Italy).
Born on the 23rd January, 1929 in Subbiano (Arezzo, Italy), Br. Francesco took the Franciscan habit in 1945 and made his first profession in 1946 in the Tuscan Province of St. Francis Stigmatized. He was ordained a priest on the 29th June, 1953. His Franciscan vocation was born as a child during a visit to the Sanctuary of La Verna. "I fell in love seeing the novices serving at the altar, listening to the organ and chants in Gregorian chants," he recalled in an interview conducted at the Curia General on the occasion of his 60 years of priesthood.
In 1954 he moved to Rome to study Canon Law, remaining in Rome for 65 years. In 1958 he began his service in the OFM General Curia as a collaborator of the General Postulation. After obtaining a doctorate in Canon Law in 1962, he was appointed Coadjutor to the Postulator General in 1964. His competence and dedication led him to be appointed Consultor of the Sacred Congregation of Rites in 1968, a position he held for 46 years, becoming the most senior Consultor of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. He has served as Vice-Postulator General of the Order at various times and has also been an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum and director of the Legal Office of the General Curia.
In addition to his professional competence, Br. Francesco was a priest dedicated to pastoral ministry. For 20 years he was spiritual assistant to various women's religious congregations and celebrated the Eucharist daily with the sick. "Being close to the sick is an experience that makes you mature as a priest and as a human being," he said in that interview. He maintained a special bond with the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth, from her native Casentino, whom he accompanied spiritually for many years.
In September 2019, at the age of 90, Br. Francesco returned to the Province of Tuscany, and in October 2021 he moved to the Provincial Infirmary of Fiesole for health reasons. In that conversation, he shared with the young Franciscans: "Do not be afraid. You will find problems and difficulties, but with a little faith, good will and trust in superiors and in St. Francis, there is nothing to fear."
We entrust him to the Lord, praying for his soul that it may be welcomed into the eternal peace of good and faithful servants.
Interview with Br. Francesco Antonelli conducted in the General Curia (2013) on the occasion of his 60th anniversary of priesthood
