From the Portiuncula, the power of mercy

On the 2nd August 2026, the Solemnity of the Pardon of Assisi and the dedication of the Portiuncula, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels welcomed thousands of pilgrims, who from the previous day began to cross the doors of the Porziuncola after the opening of the Feast presided over by the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM. In an atmosphere of prayer and recollection, the pilgrims also approached the sacrament of reconciliation in the garden of the Portiuncula, where numerous priests welcomed the penitents and accompanied them on their journey towards forgiveness. 

At 11:30 a.m., at the Portiuncula, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Pontifical Legate for the Papal Basilicas of Assisi, presided over the solemn Eucharistic celebration. In his homily, he recalled that the request made by St. Francis to Pope Honorius III was not born from the desire to obtain a privilege for the friars or an honour for the small shrine, but from the desire that each person could freely experience the superabundance of God's forgiveness and set out again as a new creature. 

The Cardinal presented the Portiuncula as a place where it is understood that forgiveness is not only absolution, but healing, purification, and restoration of the freedom of the children of God. In the face of the wounds of our time — wars, violence, divisions in families, communities and between peoples — he pointed to the Pardon of Assisi as a sign that is still profoundly prophetic: "History will not be saved by force, but by mercy; not from the balance of fears, but from reconciliation; not from the logic of revenge, but from the logic of the cross." 

Hence, the invitation is not to let Forgiveness remain only an event to be celebrated, but to make it a form of life. "The world does not wait first of all for Christians capable of speaking of forgiveness," he said, "but Christians who have the face of those who have been forgiven." 

A journey that, at the Portiuncula, is made under the gaze of Mary, in whom God's mercy has found a home. 

At the end of the celebration, Br. Massimo Fusarelli addressed his greetings to those present, hoping that "the strength of forgiveness that we receive here" will become concrete reconciliation "in families, in the workplace, in society, in Christian communities". The Minister General invited us to transform the gift received into a gift offered to others: "May the forgiveness received be once again given and offered." 

He also entrusted to prayer the young people arriving at the Portiuncula and those who will come from different countries in the coming days to meet the Holy Father, so that their strength can bring vigour and joy to all. 

At noon, during the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV recalled the meaning of the Pardon of Assisi, recalling that St. Francis obtained this Indulgence from Pope Honorius III in 1216, after being inspired in prayer at the Portiuncula by a vision of Jesus and Mary surrounded by angels. "Let us thank the Lord for this great gift and treasure it," said the Pope, placing this anniversary in the eighth centenary of the Transitus of the Poverello-Poor Man of Assisi, who died at the Porziuncola on the 3rd October, 1226. 

In the afternoon, at 2.30 p.m., the arrival of the 44th Franciscan March "Breathe Life" brought in front of the Porziuncola the enthusiasm and fatigue of the journey of over a thousand young people. Twelve marches, departing from different places, gathered in Assisi to cross the threshold of the small shrine together and welcome the gift of forgiveness. 

The Franciscan March was born in 1980 in the environment of the friary of St Francis in Fiesole, from a simple and then uncommon intuition: to reach Assisi on foot. A few dozen people were expected for the first experience, but there were more than one hundred and twenty participants. The following year, the initiative involved several Italian provinces and about six hundred young people; later, it also spread beyond Italy, reaching countries in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. 

From the beginning, the journey offered young people a space of essentiality, listening, prayer and fraternity. The shared effort, the meeting with the communities and the arrival at the Porziuncola have helped generations of participants to reread their lives in the light of the Gospel. 

Also, this year, in front of the place of Francis' beginnings, the steps of the twelve marches reminded us that the forgiveness received opens a new path: it restores dignity, recreates fraternity and makes each one a witness of reconciliation in the world.

 See all the photos of the feast of the Pardon of Assisi