Bells rang out over the hilltop town of Assisi on Sunday night as Franciscan friars closed the month-long public veneration of the bones of St Francis of Assisi, which drew more than 370,000 pilgrims. Source: OSV News.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, who is president of the Italian bishops’ conference, presided over the closing Mass in the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi.
“In these extraordinary days, we have experienced moments of profound communion, during which countless men and women have been able to encounter the spirit of St Francis, finding in him an inexhaustible source of light and hope in such a difficult time for our world,” Cardinal Zuppi said in his homily.
“St Francis takes us by the hand and helps us to look at reality with authentically Christian eyes.”
The veneration, which ran from February 22 to March 22, marked the first time in 800 years that the mortal remains of St Francis had been exposed for an extended public display.
It was part of the Church’s yearlong observance of the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death in 1226.
Following the Mass, Franciscan friars gathered for a final period of prayer with the relics before they were carried in procession from the basilica’s Lower Church to the crypt.
Before midnight, the saint’s remains were sealed in a gilded bronze urn, along with the documentation required by canon law, and placed in the stone sarcophagus in the basilica’s crypt, where pilgrims can always pray in close proximity to the saint’s relics.
During the period, more than 170 Masses were celebrated in the upper basilica, attended by more than 100,000 people, including 50 bishops and cardinals.
Franciscan Friar Giulio Cesareo, the spokesman for the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, said the turnout exceeded his expectations, not only in numbers, but in atmosphere.
“I really didn’t expect … the collected and joyful atmosphere that characterised the pilgrimage and veneration in the basilica: silence, patience, mobile phones in pockets,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a special Jubilee Year of St Francis running until January 10, 2027, offering a plenary indulgence to pilgrims who visit Franciscan churches or places of worship linked to the saint.
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St Francis’ relics returned to crypt after monthlong veneration draws 370,000 pilgrims (By Courtney Mares, OSV News)
