Fratelli tutti. This is the name of the third encyclical of Pope Francis that the pontiff himself will present in Assisi on October 3. In the afternoon, the Pope will celebrate Mass on the tomb of St. Francis and will sign the encyclical at the end. The visit will take place privately, without the participation of the faithful due to the ongoing health emergency. As soon as the Eucharistic celebration is over, the Holy Father will return to the Vatican. The papal document will bear the date of October 4, the day on which the Church remembers the Poverello of Assisi, patron saint of Italy.
All brothers, the new encyclical of Francis
After The light of faith (5 July 2013) and the Praised yes'. On the care of the common home (May 24, 2015), the pontiff signs All brothers, which is inspired by the writings of the saint of Assisi and which is intended to be a focus on fraternity and social friendship. The title and content of the document refer to the central value of the magisterium of Pope Bergoglio that on the evening of his election, March 13, 2013, he presented himself to the world with the word 'brothers'.
And to the numerous faithful in Saint Peter Square he was announced as Francis, taking the proper name of the saint of poverty. That of 3 October 2020 is the fourth visit of the Holy Father to Assisi, the Umbrian town that is preparing in the best way for the papal visit and for the feast of the patron saint of Italy. The program of the celebrations of 3/4 October 2020 sees the Marche Region as the protagonist who will offer the oil of the votive lamp of San Francesco on behalf of the whole nation.
Prime Minister Conte in Assisi together with some government officials
In Assisi, for the feast of the patron saint of the nation, there will also be Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, the Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Family, Elena Bonetti, and the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers , Andrea Martella. After the mass and the lighting of the votive lamp, Conte will speak from the Loggia del Sacro Convento.
The archbishop of Pesaro, Monsignor Piero Coccia, will preside over the celebration in the Upper Basilica. On behalf of the Pope, the papal legate for the papal basilicas, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, will be present. It will be there custodian of the Sacred Convent, Father Mauro Gambetti to welcome the numerous institutional authorities who will attend the ceremony. For the occasion, the acrobatic exhibition of the Frecce Tricolori. The entire event will be broadcast on Rai Uno.
Eight hundred years of Franciscan life
This is the period in which the 800th anniversary of many significant events that marked the life of the Franciscan fraternity is celebrated. For example, the Stamped rule, written by St. Francis and approved by Pope Honorius II on November 29, 1223. The first should not be forgotten nativity scene of Greccior, made in Christmas 1223.
And, again, the stigmata received by Francis on the Mount Verna and painted by Giotto in the Upper Basilica of Assisi. In 1225, however, the famous one sees the light Canticle of the creatures; while the earthly life of the saint ends on the evening of October 3, 1226. Francis is proclaimed a saint, two years later, by Pope Gregory IX. Bergoglio's choice to present his encyclical in Assisi is a further sign of devotion and deference of the Vicar of Christ towards the saint who embodied the Christian values of poverty and charity with his life. In addition to obedience and complete abandonment to the divine will. A unique and extraordinary figure of holiness that has inspired the Christian community for centuries and has also fascinated non-believers.
