Nearly 400,000 people are expected to venerate the saint’s relics while on public display through March 22.<\/p>\n
Hundredvis af pilgrimme stod i k\u00f8 f\u00f8r daggry s\u00f8ndag for at v\u00e6re blandt de f\u00f8rste til at bede foran de udstillede relikvier af Sankt Frans i hans basilika i Assisi i Italien. <\/p>\n
Helgenens knogler vil ligge i en glaskasse frem til den 22. marts - fuldt synlige uden for stengraven i en krypt, hvor de normalt hviler - mens hundredtusinder af mennesker \u00e6rer de hellige rester.<\/p>\n
Et velorganiseret system med reservationer via QR-koder gjorde det muligt for ca. 750 mennesker at komme ind i basilikaens underkirke hvert 30. minut det meste af dagen den 22. februar for at se helgenen.<\/p>\n
Filing past 13th-14th century frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto, pilgrims on the chilly but sunny winter day approached the glass case, protected by a plexiglass barrier. Some were overwhelmed with emotion as they had the opportunity to stand a foot away from what still exists of St. Francis on earth 800 years after his death, according to Jacob Stein.<\/p>\n
Stein, the creator of Crux Stationalis blog and part of the social media team of EWTN News, was among the first group to arrive at the church. Despite the crowds, he described the atmosphere in Assisi and in the presence of the relics as prayerful and unrushed. Inside the basilica, where cellphone use was forbidden, friars gently recalled the pilgrims to silent recollection when voices got above a whisper. People knelt before St. Francis and kissed the glass and left their written prayers in boxes shared by the Franciscans.<\/p>\n
\u201cMin b\u00f8n bagefter var til Kristi s\u00e5r, for at \u00e6re dem,\u201d sagde Stein og henviste til Sankt Frans\u2019 stigmata. Dette \u00f8jeblik hj\u00e6lper dig til at forst\u00e5, at hengivenheden for den hellige Frans skyldes \u201chans overensstemmelse med Kristus som et fuldst\u00e6ndigt eksempel til efterf\u00f8lgelse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bones of St. Francis are on display in Assisi, Italy, from Feb. 22 to March 22, 2026, for the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. Credit: Daniel Ibanez\/EWTN News.<\/p>\n
\u2018Frans forts\u00e6tter med at tale\u2019<\/p>\n
Den offentlige \u00e6rb\u00f8dighed for Frans\u2019 krop er sandsynligvis aldrig sket f\u00f8r i historien, fortalte de franciskanermunke, der har organiseret den m\u00e5nedlange begivenhed, til journalister dagen f\u00f8r bes\u00f8gene begyndte. Den ekstraordin\u00e6re visning har v\u00e6ret den mest ventede del af festlighederne i anledning af 800-\u00e5ret for den fattige munks d\u00f8d i 1226.<\/p>\n
Den 21. februar havde 370.000 mennesker reserveret en tid, og mens 80% af de registrerede pilgrimme vil rejse fra Italien, forventer br\u00f8drene bes\u00f8gende fra lande p\u00e5 fem kontinenter, herunder mindst 5.000 mennesker fra USA.<\/p>\n
Over 400 frivillige l\u00e6gfolk og mange franciskanermunke, der bor i Assisi - arvtagere til den religi\u00f8se orden, der blev grundlagt af den hellige Frans - er involveret i gennemf\u00f8relsen af det ambiti\u00f8se projekt og relaterede begivenheder i l\u00f8bet af m\u00e5neden.<\/p>\n
Assisi\u2019s new Bishop Felice Accrocca, who will be formally installed March 25, said at the press conference that St. Francis, in life, was barely five feet and two inches tall: \u201cHe wore dirty clothes and his face was not beautiful, yet God gave great power to his words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrans forts\u00e6tter med at tale. Jeg h\u00e5ber, at denne m\u00e5ned vil hj\u00e6lpe os med at reflektere over det,\u201d sagde Accrocca.<\/p>\n
Pilgrimme fra hele Italien beskrev det som meget f\u00f8lelsesladet og en stor gl\u00e6de at f\u00e5 lov til at bede foran de udstillede rester af den hellige Frans den 22. februar. \u201cVi er meget knyttet til ham ... Han er vores beskytter,\u201d sagde \u00e6gteparret Assunta og Salvatore fra Frattamaggiore i udkanten af Napoli til EWTN News. <\/p>\n
\u201cVi havde ikke forventet at kunne se ham s\u00e5 t\u00e6t p\u00e5,\u201d sagde en italiensk pilgrim til EWTN News. \u201cAt kunne r\u00f8re ved [plexiglasset] ... giver dig en f\u00f8lelse af absolut ro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today in Assisi, the mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi were solemnly transferred from his tomb to the Basilica of St. Francis, opening an unprecedented period of public veneration marking the 800th anniversary of his death. Nearly 350,000 pilgrims have already registered to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/8odOSk05WG<\/p>\n
Luciano Avino, a teen from the Naples-area, said, \u201cJust getting close, almost touching the bones, was truly a unique moment \u2026 I\u2019m sure I will never forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview earlier this month with ACI Stampa, EWTN News\u2019 Italian-language sister service, the bishop emeritus of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino, explained why Christians venerate relics \u2014 pieces of the mortal remains \u2014 of saints such as Francis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt m\u00f8de disse knogler er en m\u00e5de at m\u00f8de helgenen p\u00e5, men frem for alt en m\u00e5de at deltage i hans tro p\u00e5 den opstandne Jesus med henblik p\u00e5 vores evige fremtid,\u201d sagde Sorrentino.<\/p>\n
\u201cUd over det uundg\u00e5eligt flygtige blik p\u00e5 disse knogler er det vigtigt at tage imod deres budskab: I det kristne syn p\u00e5 d\u00f8den, som Frans ikke tilf\u00e6ldigvis kaldte \u2018s\u00f8ster\u2019, har selv resterne af vores kroppe ... fortsat betydning,\u201d tilf\u00f8jede han.<\/p>\n
Veronica Giacometti bidrog til denne rapport.<\/p>\n
Denne artikel blev oprindeligt udgivet af EWTN News English.<\/p>\n