Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a special Jubilee Year from January 10, 2026, through January 10, 2027, commemorating the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death on October 3, 1226. The decree, issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary, offers plenary indulgences to pilgrims visiting Franciscan churches or sites dedicated to St. Francis, with particular focus on the Porziuncola chapel in Assisi. The Pope has framed the jubilee as a call to peace, conversion, and spiritual renewal, inviting Catholics to become witnesses of hope amid global division. The celebration includes the public display of St. Francis’s body and extends participation options to those unable to travel physically.
Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a special Jubilee Year to mark the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi‘s death, offering Catholics worldwide a path to spiritual renewal through pilgrimage and plenary indulgence. The decree, issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary on January 10, 2026, establishes a year of commemoration running through January 10, 2027, honoring the saint known as the Poverello, or Little Poor One.
Pope Leo XIV proclaims Jubilee Year honoring St. Francis of Assisi’s 800th anniversary, offering spiritual renewal through pilgrimage and plenary indulgence.
The jubilee commemorates the Transitus of St. Francis, who died on October 3, 1226, and represents the first juridically recognized Franciscan Jubilee with plenary indulgence. Following the conclusion of the 2025 Ordinary Jubilee Year of Hope, this special year invites every Christian to participate in celebrations at Franciscan sites globally. Baptismal themes of conversion and entry into the community will be highlighted at key liturgies to invite deeper Christian commitment and catechesis on baptism.
The faithful may obtain plenary indulgence under usual conditions, including confession, Communion, and prayers for the pope’s intentions, by making pilgrimage to any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis. The indulgence may also be applied in the form of suffrage for souls in Purgatory.
The body of St. Francis will be displayed at the Basilica in Assisi from February 22 to March 26, 2026, with 250,000 pilgrims already registered for veneration as of December 2025. The Porziuncola chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli serves as a central pilgrimage destination.
The sick, elderly, and homebound may participate spiritually by offering their sufferings in union with the jubilee’s intentions.
In a letter to Franciscan Family ministers general, Pope Leo XIV highlighted St. Francis as a model for a world facing endless wars and divisions, pointing to authentic peace that technical solutions cannot provide. The pope emphasized themes of humility, Gospel-rooted love, and heart conversion, calling the faithful to become constant witnesses of peace amid violence and insecurity. The jubilee invites the Church to draw together what is divided and restore hope where it has been lost.
Announced by the Order of Friars Minor, the jubilee represents a gift for the entire Church and an occasion for evangelical witness. Unlike prior centenary celebrations of events like the Nativity scene and stigmata, this year carries unique spiritual authority, transforming pilgrimage hope into charity zeal and offering providential opportunity for sanctification.
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