On the morning of Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 10 a.m., at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels at the Portiuncula, the solemn opening ceremony of the Centenary of the Transitus of Saint Francis took place at the basilica that houses the Chapel where the Poor Man of Assisi in the autumn of 1226 ended his earthly journey and welcomed Sister Death, naked on the bare earth.
The reverent and intense celebration was attended by the General Ministers of the Franciscan Family (OFM, OFMConv, OFMCap, TOR, OFS, President of IFC-TOR), who, in a spirit of communion, guided the faithful through a liturgy rich in symbolism in the very place where the Saint died.
The opening of the liturgy was particularly significant, during which the Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino and Foligno, Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, and the Mayor of Assisi, Mr. Valter Stoppini, walked together to the threshold of the basilica carrying a candle, which was then lit in the Cappella del Transito. This gesture evoked the light of the Risen Christ and the value of peace and forgiveness in keeping with the message of the Canticle of the Creaturesand the history of reconciliation that Francis was able to bring about in his city.
After this ritual of light, the celebration was divided into six thematic sections—Mercy, Prayer, Fraternity, Work, Peace, and Blessing—inflected with essential passages of the Testament of St. Francis and accompanied by meditations, testimonies, and interventions by the General Ministers. At the heart of the six sections was a strong call to build peace based on the courage of forgiveness, reconciliation, and mercy, as Francis himself did in a time marked by conflict. The journey ended at the Portiuncula, a sign of the “empty tomb” and of the Transitus experienced by Francis, to indicate that this passing is not an end, but a beginning of a life fully surrendered to God and to men.
The beginning of the Centenary, so meaningful and well attended, was a compelling invitation to live 2026 not by looking back at the past with nostalgia, but by looking to the future with hope, supported by God’s mercy, remembering that St. Francis died singing the Canticle of the Creatures, praising God even in the moment of greatest human frailty.
The event engaged and inspired the many men and women religious and lay faithful present in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and those who followed the celebration through digital media. There also arose a surprise that resonated throughout the Church – the fruits of which will extend throughout 2026: the promulgation of a Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary declaring 2026 as the Franciscan Jubilee Year and the granting of a plenary indulgence, so that every Christian faithful following the example of the St. Francis of Assisi may become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace.
There was also the gift of a message from Pope Leo, addressed to the General Ministers of the Franciscan Family—and to all of us—presenting Francis as a “man of peace.” The “Lord Pope” urged that this jubilee be an engine of reconciliation in a fragmented world: we are all called today to be instruments of peace and reconciliation in the world.
The Centenary that has just begun will conclude and crown the cycle of “Franciscan Centenaries” celebrated in recent years.
