The Jubilee of Saint Francis has begun
In January 2026, the Church began a rare commemoration: 800 years since the passing of Saint Francis of Assisi. Known as the Transitus, the saint’s death on October 3, 1226, now anchors a Franciscan Jubilee Year running from January 10, 2026, through January 10, 2027.
This jubilee is not devotional shorthand. It is a formally proclaimed Jubilee Year, established by decree of the Vatican's Apostolic Penitentiary, which grants a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions.
The jubilee centres on Francis’ final hours at the Porziuncola, the small chapel within today’s Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi. Early Franciscan sources recount how Francis asked to be placed on the bare earth, relinquishing even his habit, and died praising God — a final, uncompromising witness to evangelical poverty.
How to get the indulgence
The conditions for the indulgence, for oneself or for the deceased.
Sacramental confession to be in God's grace (in the eight days before or after);
Participation in Mass and Eucharistic Communion;
To visit in the form of a pilgrimage any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis anywhere in the world, where one renews one's profession of faith, through the recitation of the Creed, to reaffirm one's Christian identity;
The recitation of the Lord's Prayer, to reaffirm the dignity of children of God, received in Baptism;
To pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, to reaffirm belonging to the Church, whose foundation and visible centre of unity is the Roman Pontiff;
Official jubilee
In its official announcement, the Order of Friars Minor explains that the jubilee invites the faithful to follow Francis in living the Gospel sine glossa, without evasion or self-protection. While the celebration holds particular significance for the Franciscan families, the indulgence attached to the jubilee is open to all the faithful who meet the customary sacramental conditions and participate in pilgrimages or liturgical celebrations at Franciscan churches and shrines.
The current jubilee should be distinguished from the series of 800th anniversaries marked by Franciscans in recent years.
Since 2023, the Franciscans have commemorated milestones such as the approval of the Franciscan Rule, the Nativity at Greccio, and the stigmata at La Verna. These observances were official centenary celebrations, but they were not jubilee years.
The 2026–27 observance is the only celebration explicitly designated a Jubilee, with a defined beginning and end and a universal spiritual concession recognized by the Holy See.
Pope Leo has already referred to St. Francis' anniversary on a number of occasions, notably in his address to diplomats from all over the globe, explaining that St. Francis appeals even to non-Catholics and is a model for seeking peace in a world so plagued by conflict.
“This coming October will mark the eighth century of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, a man of peace and dialogue, universally recognized even by those who do not belong to the Catholic Church. His life shines brightly, for it was inspired by the courage to live in truth, and the knowledge that a peaceful world is built starting with humble hearts turned towards the heavenly city.”
A call
Francis’ death came not in triumph but in surrender. His final gesture — letting go of everything, even the garment that marked his religious life — continues to resonate in a world shaped by conflict, ecological strain, and anxiety about security.
Franciscan see the jubilee as a call to conversion, simplicity, and peace.
The jubilee echoes Pope Francis’ repeated appeals for reconciliation, care for creation, and a Church marked by humility rather than power — themes deeply rooted in the legacy of Assisi’s most famous son.
