The coffin containing the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be transferred from Turin to Rome for veneration during the Jubilee of Youth.
Newsroom (08 July 2025, Gaudium Press ) The Vatican’s jubilee office has announced that the coffin containing the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be transferred from Turin to Rome for veneration during the Jubilee of Youth, set for July 26 to Aug. 4, 2025, as part of the broader 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations. This rare opportunity will allow young pilgrims from around the world to honor the beloved Italian blessed, whose life of faith and service continues to inspire.
The remains will be moved from the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, located in Italy’s Piedmont region, to the historic Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in central Rome, near the Pantheon. The basilica, a significant Dominican church, is a fitting venue for Frassati, who was a member of the Dominican Third Order. His body will be displayed for veneration from July 28 to Aug. 3, aligning with the core events of the Jubilee of Youth, which is expected to draw thousands of young Catholics to Rome. The jubilee will conclude with a closing Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 3 at the Tor Vergata University campus, located on the southeastern outskirts of Rome, a site previously used for World Youth Day 2000.
Initially scheduled for canonization on Aug. 3 during the Jubilee of Youth, Frassati’s elevation to sainthood has been postponed to Sept. 7, 2025, when Pope Leo XIV will declare him a saint alongside Blessed Carlo Acutis, another young figure renowned for his faith and modern-day witness. The decision to delay the canonization allows for a broader celebration of both figures, whose lives resonate deeply with contemporary youth. Frassati’s relics have previously been venerated internationally, notably at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, in 2008, at the request of the late Cardinal George Pell, underscoring his global appeal.
Born on April 6, 1901, in Turin to a prominent and affluent family, Pier Giorgio Frassati embodied a rare blend of spiritual depth and social activism. His father, Alfredo Frassati, was the founder of the influential Italian newspaper La Stampa, and his mother, Adelaide Ametis, was a painter. Despite his privileged upbringing, Frassati was drawn to the marginalized, dedicating himself to serving Turin’s poorest residents. He regularly distributed food, clothing, and medicine in the city’s slums, often sacrificing his own resources to do so. A passionate member of Catholic Action and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, he also joined the Dominican Third Order, adopting the name “Girolamo” in honor of the Dominican friar and reformer Girolamo Savonarola.
Frassati’s faith was matched by his zest for life. An avid mountaineer, he scaled numerous Alpine peaks, finding in nature a reflection of God’s grandeur. His famous motto, “Verso l’alto” (“To the heights”), encapsulated his spiritual and physical aspirations. Politically engaged, he participated in Catholic lay movements and opposed the rising tide of fascism in early 20th-century Italy, advocating for social justice rooted in Christian principles.
Tragically, Frassati’s life was cut short on July 4, 1925, when he succumbed to polio at the age of 24. His death shocked his family and community, who were unaware of the extent of his charitable work until mourners from Turin’s poorest neighborhoods filled the streets for his funeral. This past weekend, towns across northern Italy, particularly in Piedmont, marked the centenary of his death with Masses, processions, and reflections on his enduring legacy.
During the beatification process in 1981, initiated under Pope John Paul II, Frassati’s coffin was opened, revealing his body to be incorrupt—a rare phenomenon in which the body is preserved from natural decay after death. In Catholic tradition, such preservation is often seen as a sign of holiness, symbolizing the saint’s participation in the resurrection of the body and the promise of eternal life. Frassati was beatified in 1990, earning the title “Blessed” and cementing his status as a model for young Catholics.
The veneration of Frassati’s relics during the Jubilee of Youth is expected to be a highlight of the 2025 Jubilee Year, which Pope Leo XIV has themed around hope and renewal. Organizers anticipate that Frassati’s example of faith in action will resonate with young pilgrims navigating the challenges of the modern world. The Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, with its rich history and proximity to Rome’s cultural heart, will serve as a fitting backdrop for this moment of spiritual reflection.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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