In the Year of the 8th Centenary of the Transit of Saint Francis of Assisi (1226–2026), the celebration of the Forgiveness of Assisi has taken on an even more profound meaning, calling the faithful to rediscover the heart of the message of the Poor Man: God’s mercy as the source of reconciliation, hope, and peace.
In this context of particular ecclesial and spiritual value, the City of Viterbo also experienced, with deep participation, the solemnity of Saint Mary of the Angels, celebrated on Sunday, 2 August 2026, in the Basilica of San Francesco alla Rocca—one of the most significant Franciscan complexes in central Italy, intimately connected to the presence of the Franciscan Order and to the history of the medieval Papacy.
At the solemn Eucharistic Celebration at 11:00 a.m., presided over by the parish priest, Fr. Damian Frunza, O.F.M. Conv., a representation from the Tuscia and Sabina Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George took part, led by the Delegate, Avv. Roberto Saccarello, Knight Grand Cross of Jure Sanguinis with Gold Star, who intended to express the Order’s participation in one of the most significant anniversaries of the Franciscan tradition—one that each year renews the invitation to the conversion of the heart, mutual forgiveness, and witness to Christian charity.
The celebration of the Forgiveness of Assisi, which traces its origin to the indulgence granted in 1216 by Pope Honorius III at the request of Saint Francis, continues to represent one of the brightest signs of God’s mercy in the life of the Church. Over the eight centuries of its history, it has accompanied generations of the faithful, inviting them to rediscover the value of sacramental reconciliation and full communion with the Lord.
The theme chosen for the Forgiveness of Assisi 2026, The Porziuncola, blessed chapel always open, highlights precisely the universal dimension of grace, reminding us that God’s forgiveness remains constantly available to those who, with sincere repentance, wish to renew their lives in the light of the Gospel.
Celebrated in the context of the 8th Centenary of the Transit of the Saint of Assisi, this anniversary has taken on an even deeper meaning this year. The Franciscan Family is, in fact, living through an articulated commemorative journey that invites people to reread the final years of Saint Francis’s life and the extraordinary relevance of his evangelical witness. His unceasing call to peace, universal fraternity, evangelical poverty, and ongoing mercy continues today to resound powerfully in a world marked by wars, violence, divisions, and deep social unrest, offering believers a concrete path of personal conversion and genuine spiritual renewal.
The Eucharistic Celebration took place in the evocative Basilica of San Francesco alla Rocca, entrusted to the Conventual Friars Minor—an area that, for nearly eight centuries, has preserved one of the most important testimonies of Franciscan presence in the Tuscia and represents one of the main points of reference for religious life in the City of Viterbo. The liturgy was attended by the faithful, religious, and pilgrims gathered to celebrate the feast of Saint Mary of the Angels and to experience the spiritual gift of the Forgiveness of Assisi.
The representation of the Tuscia and Sabina Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George took part with reverence in the celebration, sharing with the Franciscan community a moment of intense spirituality in which the liturgy, prayer, and reflection recalled the ever-relevant value of divine mercy. The Constantinian presence is part of the Order’s ongoing spiritual commitment, which calls it to witness to the Faith through participation in the principal moments of the liturgical year and through concrete service to the Church and to those most in need.
The choice to take part in the celebration of the Forgiveness of Assisi has a particularly significant meaning for the Constantinian Order. Franciscan spirituality, in fact, constantly points to those evangelical values of humility, charity, service, and reconciliation that also form the foundation of the Christian chivalric tradition. In this perspective, the Forgiveness of Assisi is not only a liturgical observance, but a lasting invitation to renew one’s spiritual life and to welcome God’s mercy as a guiding principle for personal and communal commitment.
Thus, the ancient Viterbo Basilica provided an especially intense setting for the celebration. Its walls—over the centuries that have hosted Popes, Cardinals, saints, and eminent figures in the history of the Church—once again saw gathered a community of faithful eager to rediscover, following in the footsteps of Saint Francis, the beauty of forgiveness and peace that arise from meeting Christ. In an atmosphere of recollection and prayer, the meditation proposed by Fr. Damian Frunza, O.F.M. Conv., was integrated into the celebration, guiding the assembly to contemplate the most authentic meaning of the indulgence of the Porziuncola and of God’s infinite mercy.
