Bones of St. Francis of Assisi Go on Public Display in Italy for Only the Second Time in History
The remains of St. Francis of Assisi, Italy's patron saint and the namesake of Pope Francis, have gone on public display in Italy — only the second time the bones have been seen in public, after a single day of viewing in 1978. The display comes as millions of pilgrims and tourists visit the historic Basilica of St. Francis, which has safeguarded his remains for nearly 800 years.
Read Full Story at BBC WorldBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
— Matthew 5:3
No saint in history has embodied the Beatitudes more literally than Francis of Assisi, who abandoned wealth to embrace radical poverty and service. Eight centuries after his death, the display of his bones draws pilgrims who still find in his example a rebuke to materialism and a model of what it means to follow Christ without reservation.