Celebrations for the 2026 Solemnity of St. Francis

In 2026, the celebrations for the Solemnity of Saint Francis took on particular significance, marking 800 years since the ‘Easter’ of the Poverello, the poor man of Assisi. St. Francis is not only the Patron Saint of Italy—with 4th October becoming an Italian national holiday this year—but also a universal symbol of peace. This theme united the events held in Assisi on 3rd and 4th October to commemorate his death and marked the culmination of the centenaries celebrated by the Franciscan Family since 2023. 

On the afternoon of Saturday, the 3rd October, the Papal Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels hosted a solemn commemoration of the Poverello’s passing from earthly life to the Father’s House. In this centenary year, the Transitus fits into a broader context in which Francis’s witness once again challenges the world to embrace the values of peace, fraternity, solidarity, and care for creation. Despite its simplicity, the evening celebration at the Porziuncola preserves above all the Christian meaning of the event: the remembrance of a man who approached death as the final act of a life of service, welcoming even Sister Bodily Death into his praise of the Creator. 

During First Vespers of the Transitus, the OFM Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, recalled how Francis passed ‘from life to life’ and was able to call death ‘sister’. The Eighth Centenary, however, does not close this period of commemoration; rather, it entrusts us with an enduring responsibility. The Minister General stated that St. Francis’s legacy remains a “dangerous memory because it is full of the Gospel, and we cannot—nor do we wish to—tame it”. Beside the place where Francis died in poverty, Br. Massimo offered a word of hope that also serves as a judgement on history: “History remains in the hands of God, who is love, not in the hands of the tyrants of this world”. He concluded by invoking Francis’s intercession, so that Christians and Franciscans may remain brothers and sisters, “little ones for so many”—and continue to be in the world that “seed of eternity” which the Saint of Assisi was and remains. 

During the celebration over which he presided on the morning of 4th October at the Porziuncola, Br. Massimo recalled that everything began with that ‘small portion’ of land which Brother Francis chose and restored, where he asked to be laid to rest as he lay dying, and which he entrusted to the friars to safeguard and never abandon. “This small place has become the place of Forgiveness,” the Minister General said in his homily, “where, for centuries, anyone in need of mercy has come. Today’s Gospel says: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.’ Everyone.” He added that the Centenary poses a simple question: are our fraternities, our communities, and the Church still a small place where the weary find refreshment? True refreshment, he recalled, comes only from Jesus. 

On the 4th October, the universal message of peace from the St. of Assisi—an icon of hope and fraternity—reached the whole world. Ambassadors from countries accredited to the Italian Republic attended the celebrations at the Sacro Convento-The Sacred Friary of Assisi. Among those present were Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, and Archbishop Felice Accrocca, Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino-Foligno. 

The President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, also attended the celebrations. After the Eucharistic celebration, he delivered a message from the Loggia (the open-air porch) of the Sacro Convento (The Sacred Friary), adding further significance and solemnity to the day. “To recall, today, the teachings of St Francis for the contemporary world means highlighting certain principles of his preaching that are also decidedly relevant today: the dignity of every person, respect for Creation, and peace,” said the President. “For the Saint of Assisi, in fact, every living being was created by God and must be respected and loved as such. […] Today, terrible conflicts are causing bloodshed in many parts of the world, and in some places, people are even returning to the practice of blessing weapons and placing armies under religious banners: St Francis teaches us that there is no greater sin than that of killing other people in the name of God. […] In these times marked by senseless and cruel wars, by ‘so much violence, manipulation and arrogance’, as Leo XIV said a few days ago, the hope is that the sun of St. Francis may illuminate the world, convert minds hardened by hatred, and point the way to peace, hope and serene, fraternal coexistence.”

During the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV himself addressed these words to the Saint of Assisi: “Today, on the Eight-Hundredth anniversary of his death, I wish to remember a labourer who worked with great fruitfulness in the Lord’s vineyard: St. Francis of Assisi, whom Jesus Himself asked to repair His Church. Inspired by the Crucified One, Francis built his life first and foremost on Christ's foundation, sharing in His poverty, joy, and sufferings, up to the mystical sign of the stigmata. A man of fervent prayer and full of charity toward all, he was an example to the first friars, who shared his asceticism as an authentic condition for the Church's reform. St Francis restored the Church by virtue of his faith in the Lord Jesus, healing the rifts of discord through his witness of fraternal love. Dear friends, the charism of Saint Francis continues to bear fruit even today, eight centuries on: this is borne out not only by the great and vibrant Franciscan Family, but also by the many gifts that his spiritual legacy bestows upon the People of God. As we therefore celebrate the Franciscan Jubilee Year, let us persistently ask for the gift of peace and sincerely commit ourselves to building harmony amongst peoples.” 

Read the Minister General’s homily
Read the message from the President of the Italian Republic

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