On March 14, 2026, Capuchin Friars from various Capuchin circumscriptions across Africa gathered in the sacred city of Assisi for a deeply moving pilgrimage marking the Franciscan Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV in honour of the 800th Anniversary of the Death of St Francis of Assisi. In announcing this special Jubilee, the Holy Father invited the entire Church to celebrate the Year of Saint Francis from January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, encouraging all Christian faithful to rediscover the spirit of the ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ: โ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐ถ: ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น, ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.” This extraordinary Jubilee continues the spiritual momentum of the Jubilee Year 2025, offering the faithful an opportunity for renewal through prayer, conversion, and pilgrimage. The Apostolic Penitentiary has also granted plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, to those who devoutly participate in the celebrations during this sacred year. For us, African Capuchin friars, this invitation became a concrete journey of faith as we traveled together to Assisi, the birthplace and final resting place of our Seraphic Father.
๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Coming from diverse regions of Africa, each marked by its culture, struggles, and hopes, we arrived in Assisi united by a common Franciscan vocation. Walking through the narrow streets and viewing the ancient stones of this holy town in our walk from ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ข through the Basilica of St Clare of Assisi to the Papal Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, we were reminded that eight centuries ago a young man named Francis began a radical journey of conversion that would transform the Church and inspire generations across the world.
Our pilgrimage reached its spiritual climax at the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, where we gathered in prayer before the holy remains of the Poor Man of Assisi exposed for veneration. We entrusted our fraternities, our missions, and the people we serve throughout Africa to his powerful intercession. In that moment of silence and contemplation, we felt deeply connected not only to the history of the Franciscan Order but also to the universal fraternity that Saint Francis envisionedโa brotherhood that embraces every nation, every creature, and every corner of the world.
๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฐ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐
The Franciscan Jubilee year comes at a particularly meaningful time for the Capuchin Friars of Africa as we prepare for a Pan-African Meeting scheduled for February 2027. The pilgrimage, therefore, was not only an act of devotion but also a moment of discernment. Standing before the Remains of St Francis, we contemplated how the Franciscan charism can continue to manifest within the African context. Our continent faces many challenges, conflicts, poverty, ecological crises, and social inequalities, but it is also rich in faith, communal spirit, and resilience. The life of St Francis calls us to embody fraternity, peace, humility, simplicity, and care for creation. These values resonate profoundly with many African cultural traditions, making the Franciscan message both timely and transformative. As friars in Africa, we commit to embodying reconciliation and peace, walking with the poor and marginalised, inspired by St. Francis.
Walking in the Footsteps of our Seraphic Father, St Francis
This Franciscan Jubilee invites us not merely to remember St Francis but to imitate him. His life was a living Gospel, one that proclaimed the love of Christ through humility, service, and joy. Our pilgrimage to Assisi has strengthened our resolve to carry that same spirit back to our communities and ministries across Africa. As we continue our journey toward the Pan-African gathering in 2027, we pray that the Jubilee year will deepen our Franciscan identity and inspire new forms of evangelical witness. May the example of St. Francis of Assisi continue to guide us, and may his intercession help us live authentically the values of the gospel in the realities of our continent. We entrust our vocation, fraternity, and mission to the Lord through the prayers of the ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ, confident that Franciscan spirituality will shine brightly in Africa and beyond.he world. Amen
Br. ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฐ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ.