ROME (OSV News): The Italian hilltown of Assisi is anticipating a visit from Pope Leo XIV during the special Jubilee Year of St. Francis as the city celebrates the 800th anniversary of the death of its most famous saint.
“We are already looking forward to Pope Leo’s visit in the coming year,” Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino and Foligno, said at a February 3 press conference in Rome.
“We have made the request, but we have not yet received a response regarding the date,” he said. “However, we are extremely confident that he will not fail to come.”
More than 350,000 pilgrims have already registered to venerate the relics of St. Francis, which will be displayed from February 22 to March 22 in front of the altar of the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
Archbishop Sorrentino suggested several possible dates for the papal visit. One option is mid-May, when Assisi’s Sanctuary of the Renunciation will celebrate the anniversary of its inauguration. The sanctuary, part of Assisi’s Church of St. Mary Major, marks the site where St. Francis renounced his worldly possessions.
It is also the location of the tomb of the recently canonised St. Carlo Acutis, whose death 20 years ago is also being commemorated this year.
More than 350,000 pilgrims have already registered to venerate the relics of St. Francis, which will be displayed from February 22 to March 22 in front of the altar of the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
A more likely timeframe is October, when Assisi will celebrate the feasts of both St. Francis and St. Carlo Acutis. October 27 will also mark the 40th anniversary of the Spirit of Assisi, the landmark interreligious gathering organised by Pope St. John Paul II, the archbishop noted.
“So Pope Leo will have plenty of choices if he wants to choose significant dates or if he wants to choose a date of his own,” Archbishop Sorrentino said. “And any day of the year he will certainly not only be welcome, but it will be a great joy for us and for the world.”
The visit is not expected until after March 25, when Archbishop Felice Accrocca will be installed as the new bishop of Assisi. Pope Leo accepted 77-year-old Archbishop Sorrentino’s resignation in January after he served 20 years as the bishop of Assisi. Archbishop Accrocca, currently archbishop of Benevento, is known for his expertise on St. Francis.
“It was a great grace to be for 20 years bishop of Assisi,” Archbishop Sorrentino said.
“I won’t rest in my retirement,” he added. “When we are in footsteps of these saints, like St. Francis, like also this young St. Carlo Acutis, we cannot rest. We must work for the world.”
Pope Leo has proclaimed a special Jubilee Year of St. Francis running until 10 January 2027, offering a plenary indulgence to pilgrims who visit Franciscan churches or places of worship connected to the saint.
Pope Leo previously made a brief visit to Assisi on 20 November 2026 to address the Italian bishops’ conference, during which he prayed privately at St. Francis’ tomb.
