The Apostolic Penitentiary has published a decree on the occasion of the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi (October 3, 1226), by which a Special Year of Saint Francis is convened with plenary indulgences. The document, dated January 16, 2026, presents this anniversary as a spiritual extension of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 recently concluded.
According to the decree, Pope Leo XIV establishes that the Year of Saint Francis will be celebrated from January 10, 2026 to January 10, 2027, and invites the faithful to live it as a time of sanctification, of effective charity and of search for peace, following the example of the “Poor Man of Assisi.”
Plenary Indulgence: Conditions and Recipients
The Apostolic Penitentiary grants the plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father. The indulgence can also be applied in suffrage for the souls in Purgatory.
It can be obtained, first of all, by members of the various branches of the Franciscan Family (First, Second and Third Order, regular and secular), as well as institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life and associations of the faithful that follow the Rule of Saint Francis, are inspired by his spirituality or perpetuate his charism.
In addition, the decree extends the grace to all the faithful who, with detachment from sin, participate in the Year of Saint Francis and make a pilgrimage to a Franciscan convent church or to any place of worship in the world dedicated to Saint Francis or related to him. There they must participate in the Jubilee rites or devote a suitable time to prayer and meditation, asking that, following the example of the saint, charity toward neighbor and authentic desires for concord and peace among peoples may spring forth.
The act must conclude with the Our Father, the Creed and invocations to the Virgin Mary, to Saint Francis, to Saint Clare and to the saints of the Franciscan family.
The Sick and Those Hindered
This Year also contemplates the elderly, the sick, caregivers and those who cannot leave home due to serious reasons. They too can gain the indulgence if, with the required interior disposition, they spiritually unite with the celebrations of the Year of Saint Francis and offer to God their prayers and sufferings, with the intention of fulfilling the usual conditions as far as possible for them.
Call to Priests
Finally, the Apostolic Penitentiary asks priests—secular and religious—to show themselves available for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, with a “prompt, generous and merciful” spirit, in order to facilitate the faithful’s access to the grace of forgiveness.