A newly opened display of St. Francis of Assisi’s remains drew about 100,000 pilgrims to the Italian town in its first week, a surge the Franciscan friars managing the display attributed to a desire for communion and prayer amid ongoing violence.
According to a March 2 emailed press release from the Diocese of Assisi, the overwhelming number of pilgrims has turned the Basilica of St. Francis into a “vibrant meeting place.” In addition to the pilgrims venerating St. Francis’ body, more than 35,000 faithful attended Mass at the basilica during the first week of the display.
Friar Marco Moroni, OFM Conv., custodian of the Sacred Convent, said that the response to the display has filled the friars’ hearts with gratitude.
“Seeing thousands of pilgrims pass through the Basilica with serene, smiling faces, sometimes streaked with tears of emotion, is the most beautiful testimony that this is intended to be a profound spiritual moment, not a spectacle,” he continued.
Friar Riccardo Giacon, who planned the display’s logistics, said that each day of the event is marked by pilgrims’ joy, enthusiasm, and happiness. Friar Giulio Cesareo, director of the Sacred Convent's Communications Office, said that the veneration “has confirmed to us that people love and desire to experience fraternity and mutual acceptance.”
“Saint Francis reawakens in us respect for others, but the international events of recent days seem to contradict all this,” he continued. “Before the mortal remains of Francis, Universal Brother, recognized as a man of God from East to West, we invite those responsible for governing nations to heed the appeals of Pope Leo XIV and the desires of the people: abandon the path of violence to embrace that of diplomacy, dialogue, and peace."