Pope sets Jubilee to mark 800th year since St. Francis’ death; saint’s body to be displayed

Pope sets Jubilee to mark 800th year since St. Francis’ death; saint’s body to be displayed

(OSV News) -- Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a special Jubilee Year coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. The Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience, issued a decree published by the Franciscan Friars Jan. 10, declaring a yearlong celebration in honor of the Poverello,

Pope Leo proposes a prayer to St. Francis of Assisi

Leo sees the saint as a man “at peace with himself” and therefore capable of bringing peace to his contemporaries, and to us. Saint Francis of Assisi “continues to speak” in our time, Pope Leo XIV affirmed in a letter addressed to the Franciscan Family Conference ahead of the 800th anniversary of their founder’s death, published on January 10, 2026. The Holy Father emphasizes the enduring relevance of the Italian saint, who died on October 3, 12…