Spiritual paths

The Franciscan anniversaries renew a spiritual and cultural legacy that continues to speak to the world today

3 minutes

In 2026, 800 years after the death of St Francis of Assisi, the Way of St Francis is now more than ever an invitation to encounter a legacy that has permeated faith, art, culture, the economy and civil life.

Walking through Franciscan places means accepting two undisputed insights: the humility of a creature, capable of loving the world without possessing it, and fraternity, founded on mercy, forgiveness and encounter.

The celebrations of the Franciscan anniversaries are not just a look back in time. They bring to the present day the strength of a man who continues to unite different people, places and sensibilities.

St Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved Christian figures in the world. His message has generated works, movements and forms of thought that permeate religious faith, spirituality, art, literature, the economy and civil life. Dante dedicates one of the highest cantos of the Divine Comedy to him; in Assisi, Giotto renews the language of art; the Franciscan Luca Pacioli links his name to the spread of double-entry bookkeeping, and Robert Schuman, one of the founders of a united Europe, finds a reference in the Franciscan tradition. Even today, the example of Francis inspires well-known, unspoken gestures of fraternity, charity and love.

The cycle of Franciscan Centenaries commemorated the Bullate Rule and the Christmas at Greccio in 2023, the Stigmata in 2024 and the Canticle of the Creatures in 2025, culminating in 2026 with the eighth centenary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, the "Easter of St Francis".

These celebrations are not building a 'museum of memory' - they are bringing a living voice back to the present. "I thank all those who have come together to create The Way of St Francis," says Davide Rondoni, president of the National Committee for the celebration of the eighth centenary of the death of St Francis of Assisi. A shared Way of St Francis, capable of connecting places, communities and meanings.

The first aspect of the Franciscan legacy is the sense of absolute humility before the Mysterious Creator. Feeling like a small, but beloved creature makes it possible to love the world, other people and every living being, without wanting to possess them. This difference between love and possession is the foundation of St Francis' poverty: not contempt for things and possessions, but freedom from that which seeks to turn them into domination.

In the Canticle of the Creatures, Francis praises God through the sun, the moon, the wind, water, fire and the earth. Every creature is a sign of a Mystery and, for this very reason, can be loved. Nature is not a backdrop to be exploited or an idol to be contemplated from a distance: it is a cosmos of relationships in which man is not master, but participant and guardian. Walking through Franciscan places allows you to rediscover this balance: your pace slows, your gaze opens up and the landscape once again becomes an encounter.

The second trait is fraternity, nourished by mercy and forgiveness in relationships with others. St Francis experiences it first and foremost with his friars and sisters, starting with St Clare, and transforms it into a radical willingness to encounter. Heir to and interpreter of Eastern and European experiences, he is a man who bridges the gap: firm in his faith and, for this very reason, capable of opening up without fear.

The Way of St Francis makes this vocation a reality. Those who walk accept the time of others, share the effort, recognise the value of hospitality and traverse different territories without erasing their identity. In a present marked by divisions and loneliness, St Francis invites us to be extreme in our love for God and for others - but not extremists. The Way thus becomes not only a destination to be reached, but a way of being in the world.