With the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, the Pardon of Assisi 2026, was inaugurated on the 1st August, which, until midnight on the 2nd August, will welcome thousands of pilgrims who have flocked to the basilica of Our Lady of the Angels for the "Indulgence of the Porziuncola".
In his homily, Br. Massimo focused on why Francis chose to end his earthly life at the Portiuncula, a small place "that is both womb and tomb, cradle of a life and threshold of its fulfillment."
Recalling how God chose Mary in another small place, Nazareth, the Minister General compared the fear of the Virgin, troubled by the angel's words, to our current fears: in the face of war, destroyed cities, and the violence that surrounds us. Like Mary, who dialogued with the Lord, we too are called to "open paths to peace and forgiveness towards a different future", starting from our own context.
And speaking of Francis, Br. Massimo emphasised how the Poverello, the Poor Man of Assisi, understood that forgiveness is not a prize to be deserved, but a gift to be welcomed: "Here he had heard the Gospel that clarified his vocation; here he had gathered the first brothers; here he had obtained forgiveness for all... In the end, he asks to be laid naked on earth. He blesses the friars, forgives, and asks for forgiveness. His Transitus is a last great act of reconciliation."
By inserting the Feast of Forgiveness into the broader Franciscan Year of the 800th anniversary of Francis' death, Br. Massimo wanted to send a message to the whole Church: "Even in the Church, forgiveness is a necessary way today. Every time we absolutise a form, a sensibility, a tradition, and use it against our brothers and sisters, we wound the communion and unity of the disciples... Francis teaches us the way: to love the Church without dividing her."
At the end of Mass, a fragment of Theobald's Diploma was read, the document that hands down the origin of the Pardon of Assisi and St Francis' desire to obtain a grace open to all at the basilica of Our Lady of the Angels at the Porziuncola. According to the account, St Francis asked Pope Honorius III “not for years, but for souls, so that those who had entered that church "confessed, repented and, as is fitting, absolved by the priest," could receive forgiveness. Faced with the greatness of the request, the Saint explained that it did not come from him, but "from him who sent me, the Lord Jesus Christ". And when the pope asked him what proof he would bring of such an indulgence, Francis replied with simple confidence: "Your word is enough for me. If it is God's work, it is up to Him to make it manifest," adding that he wants no other instrument than that "the Virgin Mary be the paper, Christ be the notary, and the Angels be the witnesses."
After the reading, the Minister General went in procession to the Portiuncula. In front of the small church, so dear to St. Francis, the opening rite continued. After reciting the Our Father —one of the conditions for obtaining the Indulgence—, he opened the doors of the Porziuncola and, after a brief moment of silent prayer, incensed the church, imparted the blessing and declared the Feast of Forgiveness of Assisi open.
Conditions for receiving the Portiuncula Indulgence (for oneself or for the deceased)
The Pardon of Assisi can be obtained from noon on August 1 to midnight on August 2 in all Franciscan or parish churches, observing these conditions:
- Sacramental confession to be in God's grace (in the eight days before or after).
- Participation in Mass and Eucharistic Communion.
- A visit to the church of the Porziuncola or to a Franciscan church in the world or parish church, where the profession of faith is renewed, through the recitation of the Creed, to reaffirm our Christian identity.
- The recitation of the Our Father, to reaffirm our dignity as children of God, received in Baptism.
- A prayer according to the Pope's intentions, to reaffirm one's belonging to the Church, whose foundation and visible centre of unity is the Roman Pontiff.
Read the homily of the Minister General
See all the photos of the feast of the Pardon of Assisi
