In 2026, we mark 800 years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. Eight centuries. And yet his message feels as if it were written for today.
Francis is not only a religious figure; he is a universal symbol. Born in Assisi in 1181 or 1182, the son of a wealthy merchant, he chose a radical path: he gave up everything to live in poverty, simplicity, and care for others. A choice that still unsettles us todayāand perhaps that is precisely why it continues to speak to us.
Not a death, but a āpassingā
On October 3, 1226, Francis died at the Porziuncola. But his followers do not speak of death; they speak of transitusāa passage.
It is a powerful idea, one that reveals much about the way he saw life: not as something to possess, but to pass through. Not to accumulate, but to share.
The saint who spoke to nature
At a time when we talk so much about the environment, sustainability, and the climate crisis, Francis seems almost like a contemporary.
In his famous Canticle of the Creatures, he calls the sun ābrotherā and the moon āsister.ā This is not naĆÆve poetry: it is a vision of the world in which everything is interconnected.
This is why he is still considered today the patron saint of ecology.
Why do we celebrate him in 2026?
The eighth centenary of his death is not only a religious anniversary. It is an opportunity to pause and ask ourselves:
š what does it mean to live with less?
š what does āpeaceā truly mean?
š how willing are we to care for othersāand for the planet?
The celebrations involve all of Assisi and beyond: events, exhibitions, and cultural meetings are bringing back to the center a figure who belongs to everyone, believers and non-believers alike.
An uncomfortable message (but a necessary one)
Francis is not āeasy.ā He is not a reassuring figure.
His life is a constant challenge: against consumerism, against indifference, against the idea that happiness coincides with possession.
And perhaps this is exactly why, after 800 years, we still cannot ignore him.
Ā
