A journey through news, spirituality, and inner depth in the spirit of the saint of peace
Abstract: The article examines the ostension of the mortal remains of Saint Francis as a religious, historical, and social event, intertwining reportage and investigative analysis. It explores the organizational and regulatory aspects governing the display of relics, the historical precedents, and the influx of pilgrims, alongside the spiritual significance of encountering the Saint’s remains. The text also delves into the central moments of his biography—from the experience of the Crucifix of San Damiano to the stigmata—highlighting the enduring relevance of his message of peace, fraternity, and care for creation.
Keywords: #Ostension #FranciscanSpirituality #Peace #CareForCreation #Conversion #Stigmata #Prayer #Fraternity #HistoricalMemory #SaintFrancis #Assisi #Porziuncola #RobertoCerulli #EthicaSocietas #EthicaSocietasMagazine #ScientificJournal #SocialSciences #ethicasocietasupli
Roberto Cerulli (1971), with over 25 years of service in the Local Police, currently Commander in Capalbio (GR), he is a jurist specialized in administrative law and human resources management, author of several publications, actively engaged in civil and religious volunteer work. He serves as Regional Vice President of the Federation of Tuscan Misericordie and as a member of the Council of Elders of the National Confederation of the Misericordie of Italy.
Chronicle of a Long-Awaited Event
In Assisi, in the heart of Umbria, the ostension of the mortal remains of the Poverello represents a moment of extraordinary religious and symbolic intensity. In the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, which has safeguarded his remains since 1230, extraordinary ostensions are rare events, arranged on the occasion of particular ecclesial celebrations or significant anniversaries. Thousands of faithful gather in silence within the Basilica that houses his body, in an atmosphere suspended between recollection, prayer, and historical memory. The event is not merely a liturgical appointment: it is an occurrence that involves the ecclesial community, institutions, and the local territory, with a profound spiritual and social impact.
Access takes place according to strictly regulated procedures: controlled pathways, limited visiting times, and the constant presence of religious personnel and volunteers. The management of the influx is carefully planned to ensure safety, order, and respect for the sacred place. The ostension is never a spectacular display, but rather a moment of deep veneration.
Technical Notes on the Ostension
The mortal remains of the Saint are preserved in the crypt of the Lower Basilica. The canonical recognition of the relics has taken place several times over the centuries, with historical and scientific verifications confirming the identity of the remains. The most recent official recognition allowed for anthropological and conservation studies, conducted in full respect of ecclesiastical norms.
The ostension is governed by canon law and by the provisions of the Holy See. In recent history, extraordinary ostensions were held in 1978 (the seventh centenary of his death), in 2000 for the Great Jubilee, and in 2013 during the Year of Faith. On those occasions, according to data released by the Custody and local authorities, overall attendance exceeded several hundred thousand pilgrims over the course of the celebrations, with daily peaks surpassing 20,000 visitors during the central days. The organizational framework included integrated security plans, coordination with the Prefecture and law enforcement agencies, medical assistance points, and structured volunteer services. This is not an ordinary act, but an extraordinary event, arranged for particular anniversaries or pastoral needs. Every phase—from the preparation of the area to the safeguarding of the relics—is subject to precise protocols combining security, conservation, and sacredness.
The Meaning of the Ostension for a Believer
For the believer, the ostension is not a mere material viewing of human remains. It is an experience that engages conscience, memory, and the heart. Relics recall the concreteness of the Incarnation: a real man who walked, suffered, prayed, and radically chose the Gospel, leaving a mark on history.
To pause before the remains of Francis means to confront the essential nature of life, the human limit, and the hope that transcends death. It is a gesture that challenges one interiorly: it invites conversion, silence, and an examination of personal coherence. For many faithful, that encounter becomes an opportunity for spiritual renewal, entrustment, and a plea for peace.
Christian faith does not venerate matter in itself, but what it has represented: an existence transformed by grace. The ostension thus becomes a living memory of a possible path, tangible testimony that the Gospel can be embodied to its ultimate consequences.
Francis, the Saint of Peace, Creation, and Prayer
Francis of Assisi continues to be recognized as the Saint of peace, creation, and prayer. His message traverses the centuries with surprising relevance: universal fraternity, care for the world as a gift, dialogue as a path of reconciliation.
His spirituality was not theoretical but embodied in concrete gestures. The episode of embracing the leper marks one of the decisive turning points of his conversion: what had once repulsed him became a place of encounter with Christ. In that service to the marginalized lies the root of his peace, founded on the capacity to recognize dignity and brotherhood in every person.
His Canticle of the Creatures remains one of the highest expressions of medieval spirituality, a hymn uniting heaven and earth, humanity and nature, suffering and hope. His choice of radical poverty was not sterile renunciation but complete freedom. His prayer was not escape, but total immersion in reality in the light of the Gospel, capable of translating into service, charity, and reconciliation.
Brief Biographical Notes
Born in Assisi in 1181 or 1182 into a well-to-do family, Francis experienced a youth marked by chivalric aspirations. After a period of inner crisis and illness, he underwent a profound spiritual conversion. Decisive was the episode of the Crucifix of San Damiano. Tradition recounts that, while praying before the ancient Byzantine icon, Francis heard in the silence of his heart a clear and personal voice: “Go and repair my Church, which as you see is falling into ruin.” This was not merely an emotional experience, but an event that marked a decisive rupture in his life. At first, he understood those words in a literal and immediate sense: he began restoring the small church of San Damiano and other dilapidated buildings, offering labor, alms, and personal sacrifice.
Over time, however, the scope of that invitation revealed itself to be far broader. It was not only stone walls that needed rebuilding, but the spiritual fabric of a community wounded by divisions, wealth, and evangelical disorientation. Francis gradually understood that true “repair” required conversion of heart, lived poverty, and unreserved fraternity. In that prayerful listening before the Crucifix lies the core of his vocation: allowing himself to be transformed by the Word until he himself became a visible sign of a Church renewed in spirit—poor, free, and rooted in the Gospel.
His renunciation of paternal goods marked the beginning of a new life founded on evangelical poverty. He founded the Order of Friars Minor and inspired the birth of the Order of Poor Clares and the Third Order. In 1224, on Mount La Verna, he received the stigmata—an event attested by ancient sources and considered of the highest symbolic and mystical value: the sign of his full conformity to Christ crucified.
He died on October 3, 1226, and was canonized just two years later.
Between History and Spirituality
The ostension of his remains is not a gesture directed toward the past, but a summons to the present. In an age marked by conflict, environmental crisis, and social fragmentation, the figure of Francis continues to challenge consciences.
Chronicle records numbers, attendance, and organization. Investigation reconstructs data, norms, and procedures. Yet beyond every analysis remains the essential: a man who chose peace when the world chose war, who spoke to creation when nature was seen merely as a resource, who prayed when power seemed to be the only voice.
Franciscan spirituality possesses a strong introspective value. It invites contemporary humanity to return inward, to strip away excess, to recognize fragility as a space of encounter with God and with others. Evangelical poverty becomes a criterion of inner freedom; universal fraternity, the measure of human maturity.
Before his remains, the believer does not merely observe what is left of a body. He or she contemplates a life that continues to generate hope and that suggests a possible path of inner reconciliation, responsibility toward creation, and concrete commitment to peace.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
- Thomas of Celano, Vita Prima – The first official biography of the Saint, written a few years after his canonization; a primary source for historical reconstruction.
- Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, Legenda Maior – An hagiographical text approved by the Order, with strong theological and spiritual significance.
- Jacques Le Goff, Saint Francis of Assisi – A historical-critical essay analyzing the social and religious context of the thirteenth century.
- Chiara Frugoni, Francis and the Invention of the Stigmata – An iconographic and historical study on the representation of the Saint.
- Franciscan Sources (Edizioni Porziuncola) – A comprehensive collection of normative, biographical, and spiritual texts relating to the Franciscan tradition.
The works cited constitute established references for the historical, theological, and documentary analysis of the Saint’s figure and the related devotional practices, including canonical recognitions and ostensions of the relics.
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
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SYRIA: FROM THE GHOSTS OF ASSAD TO A FRAGILE REBIRTH
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THE WORLD AT WAR: WHY PEACE HAS BECOME THE TRUE REVOLUTION OF THE 21ST CENTURY
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