VATICAN CITY – In a decree that bridges the universal Church’s recent Holy Year with the enduring legacy of the “Poverello,” His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has officially proclaimed a Special Year of St Francis, running from January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027.
The proclamation, marking the 8th centenary of the Transitus (passage from earthly life to heaven) of St. Francis of Assisi, invites the faithful worldwide to a “year of grace” focused on peace, poverty, and reconciliation. The decree was issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary and is accompanied by a personal letter from the Pontiff addressed to the Franciscan Family.
“St Francis continues to speak to this era marked by wars and division,” Pope Leo XIV wrote. “Not because he offers technical solutions, but because his life points to the authentic source of peace—Christ Himself.”
Spiritual Benefits and Indulgences
The Holy Father has granted specific spiritual privileges to encourage the faithful to participate fully in this Jubilee. The decree outlines the following benefits for the Church:
Plenary Indulgence for Pilgrims
A Plenary Indulgence is granted to all faithful who, under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff), make a pilgrimage to any Franciscan church or holy place dedicated to St. Francis anywhere in the world. There, they must devoutly participate in a jubilee rite or spend time in pious meditation, concluding with the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Francis.
Grace for the Sick and Homebound
The elderly, the sick, and all those who, for a grave cause, are unable to leave their homes may equally obtain the Plenary Indulgence. They are required to join spiritually in the Jubilee celebrations, offering their prayers and sufferings to the Merciful God, while having the intention to fulfil the usual conditions as soon as possible.
A Call to “Disarming” Peace
Beyond the remission of temporal punishment, the Pope underlines a communal spiritual benefit: the grace to become “unarmed and disarming witnesses of peace”. The Jubilee is envisioned as a school of reconciliation where the faithful can heal relationships with God, with their neighbours, and with creation.
Renewal of Evangelical Poverty
The year is set apart as a time for “authentic spiritual renewal”, challenging Christians to detach from the “spirit of the world” and rediscover the joy of the Gospel. The Pope exhorts the faithful to look to St Francis not merely as a historical figure, but as a living model of how to shape one’s life entirely on Christ. The Jubilee Year officially opened on Saturday, January 10, with a solemn celebration at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi, the site of the Porziuncola and the place where St Francis died in 1226.
To obtain the Plenary Indulgence for the Year of St Francis, the decree usually requires visiting a church dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. In Nigeria, any Catholic church dedicated to St Francis of Assisi can be an appropriate place to make the pilgrimage to. For instance, in Ondo Diocese, we have St Francis Catholic Church, Oke-Aro, Akure, Ondo State.
You can make a pilgrimage here, spend time in prayer, recite the Creed and Our Father, and pray for the Pope’s intentions to fulfil the Jubilee requirements.