by Daniele Frison

In Assisi, the extraordinary exposition of the saint's remains for the 800th anniversary of his death. Thousands of pilgrims, including some from Asia, tell AsiaNews: “We pray for peace, there are too many wars in the world.” Young people from South Korea are also visiting, ahead of World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027. At the same time, a relic of St. Francis' ashes is travelling through the Philippines, offering the country a unique opportunity for veneration.

Assisi (AsiaNews) - “It is an emotion that only the heart can understand. It is different to look at the bones. It feels like looking at the person, the body of St. Francis himself. I would have liked to stay there and talk to him...” It is almost dark as Sr. Maria Antonietta Tapic, 35, walks towards the bus that will leave Assisi, with a group of faithful from the eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, Sicily.

Originally from the Philippines, she has been in Italy for 10 years and shares with AsiaNews her emotion at having contemplated the remains of Francis of Assisi, who died 800 years ago in 1226. This anniversary is being celebrated with the Franciscan Jubilee Year - from January 10, 2026, for exactly one year - established by Pope Leo XIV, who invites the faithful to be “tireless witnesses of peace.”

Sr. Tapic, Apostle of Jesus Crucified, is one of the multitude of faithful - 100,000 in the first week - who from February 21 to March 22 are visiting the Basilica of Assisi for the exposition of the mortal remains of the “man of poverty,” as Bergoglio called him, from whom he first took his papal name. The evocative name of this extraordinary event is “Francis Lives.” It is the first time that the remains have been publicly displayed for an extended period. There was only one precedent, in 1978, when a brief exhibition was organized on the occasion of the “third reconnaissance,” which followed the discovery in 1818. “The remains are the visible element of what we have imagined, read, and learned about his life. I felt the presence of holiness,” says the nun.

In 1978, after the “third reconnaissance” - a scientific inspection to assess the state of preservation - it was confirmed that only bones and ashes remain of the body of Francis of Assisi. During these same days, a “first class” relic of the saint called “ex cineribus corporis,” containing the ashes, is traveling through the Philippines. The pilgrimage began on February 21—the same day as the opening of the Ostension in Italy—from the parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Mandaluyong City, promoted by the Blessed Ivan Merz Family Association, in collaboration with the Secular Franciscan Order. The relic is traveling through dioceses, parishes, religious groups, and private institutions, allowing Filipino Catholics to experience a rare opportunity for veneration.

The journey of the relic in the Philippines shows the extent of the spread of Franciscanism throughout the world. It is no coincidence that the booklet given to the faithful at the entrance to the Basilica of Assisi reads: “The body of Francis has become a fruitful seed that continues to bear fruit.” During these extraordinary days, Assisi is experiencing—as it has always done—a return of people touched by the radicalism of the Saint. This is demonstrated by the words “sold out” that appear every day of the month of the Ostension on the website for reservations. Thus, signs of devotion are already visible on a train from Rome to Assisi, which plunges into the Umbrian fog in the morning - between tunnels, winding hills, and cultivated plains. For example, the tau, the Franciscan seal, around the neck of an elderly gentleman.

On the same train is also Don Agostino Lee, 37, with the Gospel of John on his lap. A student of Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, he is originally from the diocese of Incheon, South Korea. “St. Francis managed to reconcile enemies,” he tells AsiaNews. “I am going to Assisi to pray for reconciliation between the leaders of nations, so that these disastrous wars may end.” The “rare” opportunity to contemplate the remains of Francis is an occasion to remember the link between the saint and peace. “His message is especially important for young people. They are the victims of wars, at the behest of their rulers.” In Lee's heart - as in that of other faithful in Assisi - there is the umpteenth suffering caused to the peoples of the Middle East by the absurdity of missiles and war in these dark hours.

From South Korea, a group of young people also visited the Basilica of Assisi in the first days of the exposition, marking a fundamental step towards World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027, entrusting the event to St. Francis. They too waited in silence in the Lower Basilica—among the masterpieces of eminent artists such as Cimabue and Giotto—to contemplate the transparent case on which a white inscription is affixed: “Corpvs Sancti Francisci.” Near the remains, placed in front of the high altar, an Easter candle burns. Francis' “transit” is remembered with sobriety and simplicity. There is no pomp of any kind on the case, not even flowers. Among the people who approach it, some touch it, some genuflect, some make the sign of the cross. It is a very short time, but the emotion is great.

At the exit, near the large PAX inscription in front of the Basilica, Fr. Bala Francis Kumar, 40, from the diocese of Bangalore, India, also speaks to AsiaNews. “My name is also Francis, my father wanted it that way,” he says immediately. "I wanted to be here for the 800th anniversary. I think of tensions, discord, and wars in the world. That makes me angry. Today I prayed, I went to confession; the priest told me something precious: between good and evil, we can always choose the most beautiful thing, as Francis did,“ he says. His heart is also filled with the desire for peace, which finds its home in Assisi. ”Every person can begin. By bringing peace to their family, to those closest to them: a light that those who receive it can in turn spread."

“You who, unarmed, crossed

the lines of war and misunderstanding,

give us the courage to build bridges

where the world erects boundaries.

In this time afflicted by conflict and division,

intercede so that we may become peacemakers:

unarmed and disarming witnesses

of the peace that comes from Christ.”

(From the Prayer to St. Francis by Leo XIV)

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