Pope Leo XIV launches a Franciscan Jubilee Year honoring St. Francis’ 800th anniversary, offering indulgences and calling for peace and renewal.
Newsroom (12/01/2026 Gaudium Press) Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a Special Year of St. Francis, inaugurating a global Franciscan Jubilee to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. The Holy See announced that this period of spiritual grace extends until January 2027, inviting Catholics worldwide to rediscover the saint’s enduring example of humility, peace, and compassion.
The official decree, issued on January 10 by the Apostolic Penitentiary, marks the beginning of a yearlong observance intended as “a gift for the entire Church and an occasion for authentic spiritual renewal.” The Jubilee offers the faithful the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence—a complete remission of temporal punishment due to sin—by fulfilling traditional conditions of confession, Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the pope.
Pathways to Spiritual Renewal
Throughout the Special Year, pilgrims may obtain the indulgence by visiting any Franciscan conventual church or a sacred site dedicated to St. Francis across the globe. For those unable to travel—particularly the elderly, the sick, or anyone confined by serious circumstances—the Church extends the same grace through spiritual participation. Simply uniting in prayer, offering daily pain or suffering to God, and joining in the Jubilee spirit are seen as acts of profound devotion.
The decree accompanying the announcement struck a tone both pastoral and prophetic, addressing the contemporary spiritual crisis. “In a world where the virtual takes over the real, where disagreements and social violence are part of everyday life, and peace grows more distant, this Year of St. Francis spurs all of us to imitate the poor man of Assisi,” it reads. This imitation, it adds, is not merely symbolic but a path toward transforming hearts and societies through the radical simplicity and faith of the saint who once rebuilt the Church “brick by brick.”
The Franciscan Call to Peace
For the Order of Friars Minor, this Jubilee is not only a spiritual observance but also a mission—a call to become “models of holiness and constant witnesses of peace.” The Franciscans see the anniversary as a global reminder that faith must be active, compassionate, and oriented toward reconciliation, both within communities and among nations fractured by distrust and violence.
In a personal letter to the ministers general of the Franciscan Family, Pope Leo XIV underscored St. Francis’s timeless relevance. “In this era, marked by seemingly endless wars and social divisions that sow distrust and fear,” he wrote, “Francis continues to speak—not with technical solutions, but by pointing us to the authentic source of peace.”
His message reflects a broader Vatican theme: that the renewal of the Church begins with the renewal of the heart. “Peace with God, peace among people, and peace with creation,” the pope observed, “are inseparable dimensions of a single call to universal reconciliation.”
A Global Invitation
The Year of St. Francis arrives at a time when humanity grapples with deep ecological, social, and spiritual wounds—issues that the saint from Assisi confronted in his own way eight centuries ago. Rooted in prayer, simplicity, and fraternity, his message resonates across religious and cultural boundaries: that peace begins within and radiates outward through love for both neighbor and creation.
From the quiet cloisters of Assisi to the bustling parishes of the modern world, the Franciscan Jubilee stands as an invitation—to step away from noise and division, to embrace compassion, and to rediscover the joy that animated St. Francis’s life. It is, as Pope Leo XIV envisioned, a year for reflection, reconciliation, and renewal—a moment for the Church and the world to begin again.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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