This year, Assisi is experiencing an exceptional influx of pilgrims on the occasion of the VIII centenary of the death of St. Francis. The jubilee celebration is joined by the growing interest in the figure of Carlo Acutis and the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled for this Thursday, August 6, factors that have turned the Umbrian city into one of the main pilgrimage destinations of the Church during 2026.
According to Franciscan Thomas Freidel, who has been responsible for the pastoral care of German-speaking pilgrims in Assisi for nearly two decades, explained to the Austrian Catholic agency KAP, the city is registering visitor numbers above the usual figures, and everything indicates that this year the five million pilgrims it receives annually will be surpassed.
A year marked by the VIII centenary of St. Francis
The Jubilee Year dedicated to St. Francis has attracted thousands of faithful from around the world. One of the moments of greatest influx took place in spring, when the saint’s remains were exceptionally exposed for the veneration of the faithful for four weeks, an initiative that brought together more than 370,000 people.
Freidel attributes this renewed interest to the enduring relevance of the message of the saint of Assisi. “For many people, believers or not, St. Francis represents values such as peace, justice, care for creation, and the relationship with God,” he noted. In his view, the combination of artistic heritage, spirituality, nature, and Franciscan life makes Assisi a destination that transcends the strictly religious sphere.
Carlo Acutis attracts a new generation of pilgrims
Added to the appeal exerted by St. Francis is the growing flow of visitors to the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis, buried in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi. The first “millennial saint” has become another major attraction for pilgrims, especially among young people.
The Franciscan acknowledges that many groups take advantage of their stay in Assisi to visit both the Basilica of St. Francis and the tomb of Carlo Acutis. In fact, he assures that one of the most frequent questions the friars receive is how to get to the tomb of the young Italian saint.
The visit of Leo XIV
In this context of intense pilgrim activity, Leo XIV will visit Assisi this Thursday to close the international meeting of Franciscan youth «Go! Franciscan Youth Meeting 2026». The Pontiff will celebrate Holy Mass in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, where the Portiuncula is located, a place especially linked to the life of St. Francis.
Assisi already looks ahead to the next events of the Jubilee Year
The celebrations of the VIII centenary will continue in the coming months and will reach one of their central moments on October 3 and 4, when the eighth centenary of the passing of St. Francis will be commemorated with various religious celebrations and the presence of ecclesiastical and civil authorities.
In addition, Assisi is already preparing another event of international significance: the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by St. John Paul II in 1986. Although the Holy See has not yet confirmed the program, there is expectation in the city that Leo XIV may return at the end of October to participate in this commemoration, which will once again bring together representatives of different religions around the spiritual legacy of the saint of Assisi.