Pope Leo XIV Takes a Helicopter to Assisi and Prays for Peace at Saint Francis' Tomb - VIDEO

Pope Leo XIV traveled to Assisi, Italy, and prayed at the tomb of St Francis, saying his witness is especially important "at a time when the world is searching for signs of hope.”

“It is a blessing to be able to come here today to this sacred place. As we approach the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’s death, we have the opportunity to prepare to celebrate this great, humble, and poor saint at a time when the world is searching for signs of hope.”

Vatican News reported that these were the first public words spoken by Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Assisi, standing before the tomb of St. Francis.

It was the first stop on the Pope’s visit to the central Italian town, on the 20th of November, where he met with the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference at the close of their 81st General Assembly.

The Pope arrived by helicopter, landing shortly after 8 am. From there, he traveled by car into the heart of Assisi, the city of St Francis—a centre for art, history, culture, and devotion, and a destination for millions of pilgrims, including twenty popes over the centuries. Pope Francis, notably, visited in 2020 to sign his encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

Despite steady rain and a biting cold, a small crowd gathered in the square to greet him crying “Viva il Papa!”, or “Long Live the Pope”. At the entrance stood the convent’s custodian, Fr. Marco Moroni, who, together with other friars, accompanied the Pope into the crypt.
There, before the ancient stone walls that hold the saint’s body directly beneath the Basilica’s high altar, the Pope knelt down for a moment of silence and prayer.

In Montefalco, near Assisi, he went for Mass and lunch at the Monastery of Santa Chiara, the Pope told journalists that he during his visit to the tomb he had been praying for peace.

He added that he had prayed "for all the faithful in Umbria", the central Italian region containing Assisi and Montefalco.

"I am in the land of many saints," the Pope said. "I am very happy to have been in Assisi this morning and then here in Montefalco ... there is an atmosphere of holiness."

Source: Vatican News