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[CULTURE] · Italy · 50 sources

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Pope Leo XIV urges Assisi youth to become new saints

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Assisi by helicopter on 5 August 2026 for the concluding day of the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting, a four‑day gathering of about 2,500 young people from across Europe. He celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, near the historic Porziuncola, and addressed the crowd, saying Europe and the world are looking to them to be “new saints.”

In his homily the pontiff called for evangelical freedom, the rejection of a “culture of power,” and urged young people to become operators of peace, to break down walls of prejudice, and to use technology, including AI, in service of human fraternity. He answered questions from participants, highlighted the example of St Francis and St Clare, and encouraged the youth to write new pages of history by moving to the margins of society. Local civil and religious authorities, including the mayor of Assisi and the sub‑secretary to the Italian government, welcomed the visit.

The event was part of the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of St Francis’s death and was widely covered in Italian and international media.

Entities

Archbishop Felice Accrocca · Assisi · Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli · Basilica of St Mary of the Angels · Basilica of St Mary of the Angels (Porziuncola) · Fra Massimo Fusarelli · GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting · GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting 2026 · Pope Leo XIV · Pope Leone XIV · Saint Francis of Assisi · St Francis of Assisi

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