"St. Francis, Witness to the Flourishing of Those Who Trust in Christ"

“St. Francis, witness to the flourishing of those who trust in Christ”
Cardinal Fernandez Artime Preaches in Assisi

Photo ©: "San Francesco d’Assisi" Facebook Page

(ANS – Assisi – February 24, 2026) – For the first time in history, on the occasion of the 8th centennial of the death of St. Francis, the mortal remains of the Poor Man of Assisi are being displayed for the veneration of the faithful. Already 400,000 pilgrims have booked to pay homage to him, taking advantage of this special occasion, scheduled for only one month, from February 22  to March 22.

On Sunday, therefore, the inaugural act of this special event took place, with a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by Salesian Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime, rector major emeritus and currently pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

“Do we want to live according to the logic of self-sufficiency and power, or according to the logic of trusting obedience to God?” is the question that the cardinal invited us to ask ourselves during Lent, drawing inspiration from the liturgical readings, which presented the two figures of Adam and Christ: the former representing man who gives in “to the temptation to become God without God,” the latter “the Son who entrusts himself totally to the Father.”

In this light, St. Francis, not coincidentally remembered in history as alter Christus for his radical following of Jesus, becomes a beacon capable of illuminating the path: as the son of a wealthy merchant, he could have lived according to worldly dynamics, and in fact he had begun to do so; but then, in the silence of imprisonment and defeat, “he heard another voice.” It was a voice that affirmed that true freedom lies in entrusting oneself and in service, rather than in possession and domination.

Returning to the gospel passage of the day, that of Jesus’ temptations in the desert, Cardinal Fernandez Artime examined one by one the pitfalls that any man or woman may encounter on their spiritual journey: turning stones into bread, or “using God to solve our needs”; throwing oneself from the temple, that is, “seeking success, the sensational”; receiving all the kingdoms of the world, that is, “choosing power, but worshipping the evil one.”

St. Francis, the cardinal observed, was not immune to these temptations, but he knew how to choose differently, preferring smallness to pride, poverty to accumulation, obedience to self-sufficiency. In short, he chose “to worship God alone,” and in this way, overcoming temptations with God’s grace, he also obtained the strength “to open himself to others.”

With his human parable, the Salesian cardinal observed, St. Francis bears witness not to extraordinary heroism, but to the “flowering of those who trust in Christ,” because he did not redeem himself through a display of strength, but “allowed himself to be saved by God.” For this reason, 800 years after his death, his figure is still able to speak – not of himself, but rather of Christ and the “superabundance of grace.”

Finally, the prelate dwelt on the value of this exposition – more than a simple exercise in memory with a “nostalgic gaze” on what has been, but rather “a strong and concrete invitation” to respond to the questions of the present: “What is my desert? What temptation dwells within me? Where does the Lord ask me to take a step of faith?”

Francis of Assisi died on the night between October 3 and 4, 1226, at the Porziuncola, at the age of 44. He wanted to be laid to rest on the bare earth, in absolute poverty. His holiness was so evident that he was recognized and proclaimed as such by Pope Gregory IX less than two years later, on July 15, 1228. After his death, St. Francis’s body was carefully preserved and the basilica dedicated to him was built to protect his remains. So carefully protected that, over the centuries, almost all trace of it was lost. It was Pius VII who, in 1818, ordered the excavations that brought to light the stone coffin, which normally resides in the crypt of the basilica, after 52 nights of work.

The display of St. Francis’s remains, a unique event in 800 years of history, is one of the most significant gestures designed to pay homage to this saint, who has been admired over the centuries by believers of other religions and non-believers alike. Today, his message of universal love for God, Lady Poverty, and all creatures is universally appreciated and recognized as key not only to spiritual development and individual growth, but also as seeds of development for cultivating authentic humanity and brotherhood among peoples.

To view the remains of St. Francis, reservations are required and can be made here: https://sanfrancescovive.org/prenotazione/