On the morning of November 20, 2025, Pope Leo XIV arrived in Assisi by helicopter, landing at Migaghelli Stadium shortly after 8:00 a.m. Before participating in the 81st General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, the Pontiff paid homage to St. Francis with a visit to the Lower Basilica.
The Pope was welcomed by a crowd of faithful who stood in the rain and by the Custos of the Sacred Convent, Friar Marco MORONI. Then, the Holy Father made his way to the crypt, illuminated by a votive lamp fueled by oil donated this year by the Italian Region of Abruzzo. The lamp was engraved with a verse from Dante’s Paradise: “It is but a ray of his light.”
In the dim light of the crypt, before the tomb of St. Francis, the patron saint of Italy, Pope Leo XIV paused for a moment of silent prayer. The friars said they experienced “immense joy in welcoming the Holy Father in the crypt. After praying in silence before the tomb of Francis, the Pope addressed us with words of great comfort, reminding us that we are preparing for the great anniversary of Francis’ death. He urged us to continue to be, through our lives, those signs of hope, peace, and fraternity that the world so badly needs.”
This visit, the first stop on the Pope’s day in Assisi, was a time of great encouragement for the entire Franciscan family and the faithful. As we approach the next Franciscan Centenary we are invited to rediscover St. Francis as a shining guide, capable of pointing the way to dialogue, peace, and hope.
From: https://www.sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it/
https://www.vaticannews.va/it/
