Assisi Celebrates Feast of the Forgiveness with Indulgence Rituals

The Feast of the Forgiveness (Festa del Perdono) in Assisi traces back to a 1216 vision of St. Francis at the Porziuncola, where he saw a bright light and asked the Lord for a generous pardon for souls. Pope Honorius III authorized the celebration, fixing August 2 as the day the plenary indulgence is granted in the Porziuncola and Franciscan churches.

From noon on August 1 until midnight on August 2, the faithful may receive the plenary indulgence by fulfilling conditions: sacramental confession, participation in Mass and communion, a visit to the Porziuncola (or a Franciscan church), recitation of the Creed and the Our Father, and a prayer for the Pope. In 2026 the feast marks the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’s death, prompting special reflections by clergy such as Fr. Alessio delle Cave.