By Courtney Mares
OSV News
Pope Leo XIV traveled to Assisi Aug. 5 to celebrate the Jubilee Year of St. Francis with 2,500 young people, urging them to become the “new saints” the world needs today.
The pope celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord for participants in the “Go! Franciscan Youth Meeting,” a four-day gathering of young people ages 18 to 33 from across Europe.
The basilica was built on the site where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.
“Dear young people, today Europe and the whole world are looking to you to be new saints. Dare to believe in the word of the Gospel; become fully human with the freedom of Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo said in his homily in the basilica that encompasses the small chapel where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.
“Unite the best energies of your magnificent humanity: your studies, skills, work, friendships, love and prayer, so that you can bring Saint Francis’ vision to life in many different ways,” he added.
The pope’s visit is part of the church’s celebration of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death and coincides with the annual August celebration in which pilgrims flock to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels to receive a plenary indulgence linked to a mystical experience of St. Francis.
During his homily, Pope Leo recited the well-known prayer “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,” noting that although it is often attributed to St. Francis, it actually dates only to the last century.
He said St. Francis continues to draw people to him eight centuries after his death because of the courage he showed in leaving familiar ways behind to follow a path more consistent with that of Jesus, a choice that seemed “revolutionary” even in a city that had been Christian for centuries.
“This is the energy of Christianity — the energy of its beginnings and of its many new beginnings,” the pope said.
Before returning to Vatican City, the pope told the young people he hoped their days in Assisi would stay with them, and that their return home to their countries across Europe would be marked by reflection and renewed commitment to Christ.