Approximately 350,000 people have registered to venerate the relics of St. Francis of Assisi during the first public display of his bodily remains. The remains will be displayed from February 22 to March 22 in the Lower Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, transferred from their usual resting place for the occasion. This event commemorates the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death and coincides with a special jubilee year proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV. St. Francis's body was intentionally buried in a hard-to-access location after his death in 1226 to prevent theft, and it was officially confirmed as his remains in 1819. The body has been examined twice previously in the 20th and 21st centuries (1978 and 2015), revealing signs of illness and the wounds of Christ he bore.
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About 350,000 people have registered to venerate the relics of St. Francis of Assisi from February 22 to March 22, 2026, in the Lower Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.1
This marks the first public display of the saint's bodily remains, transferred from an underground chapel to the papal altar.1
St. Francis died in 1226, and his body was buried beneath the main altar to prevent theft, remaining hidden until its discovery on December 12-13, 1818.1
Examinations in 1819, 1978, and 2015 confirmed the remains, showing a body marked by illness and the stigmata, symbolizing his Gospel witness.1
The event coincides with the 800th anniversary of his death.1
Pope Leo XIV has declared a special jubilee year for St. Francis, extending until January 10, 2027, offering a plenary indulgence to the faithful.1
The indulgence is available by visiting any Franciscan church or site linked to the saint, plus receiving reconciliation, Communion, and praying for the Pope's intentions.1
Vespers on February 21 at 4 p.m. local time, exclusive to Franciscan friars, will precede a procession of the remains.1
A 160-page special issue of "San Francesco Patrono d’Italia" magazine, featuring Franciscan scholars, accompanies the display.1
Examine how relic veneration shapes Catholic identity and devotion
Relic veneration is a cornerstone of Catholic piety, deeply embedding the faithful in the communion of saints and the Church's sacramental life. It fosters a devotion that honors not the material object itself, but the saint or sacred event it represents, directing worship ultimately to God. The Council of Trent emphatically teaches that saints in heaven offer prayers to God for humanity, making it "good and useful to invoke them suppliantly" and to venerate their relics as a means of seeking divine favors through Christ. This practice distinguishes between latria—the adoration due to God alone—and dulia, the relative honor given to relics and images, which "passes to the prototype." The Church has never defined the veneration of any specific relic as obligatory, but approves honor for those "with reasonable probability... believed to be genuine and... invested with due ecclesiastical sanctions."
From the earliest centuries, relic veneration has marked Christian identity as a primitive instinct rooted in apostolic tradition. The letter from Smyrna around 156 A.D. recounts the desire of St. Polycarp's disciples to secure his remains against pagan opposition, fearing Christians would be accused of worshiping him instead of Christ—yet they persisted, highlighting relics' role in memorializing martyrdom. By the fourth century, reputed fragments of the True Cross spread worldwide, venerated with intense devotion in Jerusalem, as evidenced by eyewitness accounts like Etheria's pilgrimage around 385 A.D. The Second Council of Nicaea (787 A.D.) formalized this, affirming veneration of the Cross alongside images of Christ, Mary, and saints, renewing the decree at Constantinople in 869. Such continuity underscores Catholic identity as tethered to the "Catholic and apostolic Church, received from primeval times."
Relics of the True Cross and Passion instruments receive special veneration, never mingled with others, symbolizing Christ's redemptive sacrifice and elevating devotion beyond ordinary piety.
Relic veneration enriches the "forms of piety and popular devotions" surrounding the sacraments, including pilgrimages, processions, and the Stations of the Cross. It expresses the "religious sense of the Christian people," fostering encounters with faith's mysteries through tangible aids. The Directory on Popular Piety praises sacred images and relics as embodiments of religious culture, strengthening faith, glorifying God, and conserving identity when rooted in grace and history—provided they avoid elevating objects to idolatry. Bishops ensure authenticity and dignity, preventing banal or erroneous icons from private devotion.
This practice shapes devotion by inviting the faithful to pray incessantly with confidence, increasing charity, hope, and spiritual growth (cf. Mt. 7:7). Unlike pagan cults, Catholic veneration is Christocentric, with relics as conduits to divine mercy.
Relic veneration profoundly molds Catholic identity by embodying the Church as a family spanning heaven and earth. It reinforces belief in the saints' intercession, urging recourse to their "prayers, assistance, and support." By honoring relics, the faithful participate in the "consensus of opinion of the holy Fathers and... sacred Councils," affirming orthodoxy against iconoclasm or modernism.
In an age of skepticism, relics counter "novelties of words" that mock piety, preserving traditions unless proven false by bishops. They evoke a shared heritage: from Polycarp's bones to the True Cross, linking believers to martyrs and the Passion. This tangible connection combats isolation, nurturing a corporate identity where personal devotion mirrors the universal Church's worship.
The Church exercises prudence: bishops verify relics, removing inauthentic ones while upholding ancient devotions on presumption unless contradicted. Pascendi warns against dogmatic pronouncements on unproven relics in pious writings, yet permits relative devotion based on human faith. Today, amid cultural shifts, relics sustain devotion, as seen in pilgrimages to sites like Assisi's Portiuncula, cradle of Franciscan spirituality. They invite modern Catholics to rediscover mystery, countering secularism with sacred memory.
In summary, relic veneration shapes Catholic identity as historically continuous, doctrinally precise, and devotionally vibrant—uniting the faithful with saints, sacraments, and Christ. It demands discernment but yields profound spiritual fruit, ever directing hearts to God.