By Benedetta Capelli – Assisi

“It is a blessing to be able to come here today to this sacred place. As we approach the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’s death, we have the opportunity to prepare to celebrate this great, humble, and poor saint at a time when the world is searching for signs of hope.”

These were the first public words spoken by Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Assisi, standing before the tomb of St. Francis.

It was the first stop on the Pope’s visit to the central Italian town, where today, 20 November, he is meeting with the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference at the close of their 81st General Assembly.

Arrival in Assisi

The Pope arrived this morning by helicopter, landing shortly after 8 am. From there, he traveled by car into the heart of Assisi, the city of St Francis—a centre for art, history, culture, and devotion, and a destination for millions of pilgrims, including twenty popes over the centuries. Pope Francis, notably, visited in 2020 to sign his encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

A warm welcome in the Lower Basilica

This time it is Pope Leo’s turn to visit. Before heading to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli for his meeting with the bishops, the Pope made his way shortly after 8:30 a.m. to the tomb of St Francis, who is Italy’s patron saint.

Despite steady rain and a biting cold, a small crowd gathered in the square to greet him with cries of “Viva il Papa!”, or “Long Live the Pope”. At the entrance stood the convent’s custodian, Fr. Marco Moroni, who, together with other friars, accompanied the Pope into the crypt.

The visit came as the Church prepares to mark the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death with the exposition of his remains.

A prayer before the tomb

There, before the ancient stone walls that hold the saint’s body directly beneath the Basilica’s high altar, the Pope paused for a moment of silence and prayer. Then he spoke briefly—his words broadcast outside through loudspeakers—reaffirming the message of hope that this small yet towering figure continues, centuries on, to offer the Church and the world.

n Montefalco, near Assisi, where he went for Mass and lunch at the Monastery of Santa Chiara, the Pope told journalists that he during his visit to the tomb he had been praying for peace.

He added that he had prayed “for all the faithful in Umbria”, the central Italian region containing Assisi and Montefalco.

“I am in the land of many saints,” the Pope said. “I am very happy to have been in Assisi this morning and then here in Montefalco … there is an atmosphere of holiness.”