Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has presented Saint Francis of Assisi as an example of how faith, fraternal love and personal conversion can help heal divisions in the Church and build peace among peoples.
Speaking during the Sunday Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square on October 4, the Pope reflected on the Gospel parable of the vineyard and the rejection of Jesus. He said that human rejection and violence cannot defeat God’s saving plan and reminded the faithful that God does not abandon human lives even in moments of suffering and failure.
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," Pope Leo said, referring to the words of Scripture recalled by Jesus. He explained that what is rejected can become the foundation of something new through God’s action.
The Pope then connected the Gospel message with the life of Saint Francis, whose death 800 years ago is being commemorated throughout 2026.
Saint Francis died on October 3, 1226, at the Porziuncola near Assisi. Pope Leo recalled him as a worker in the Lord’s vineyard who responded to Christ’s call to repair the Church.
According to the Pope, Francis began that work by building his own life on Christ. He embraced poverty, prayer, charity and the suffering associated with following Jesus. Pope Leo also referred to the stigmata received by Francis and to the example he gave to the first Franciscan friars.
The Pope said that Francis helped repair the Church through his faith in Jesus and by healing divisions through fraternal love. He presented this witness as an example for Christians today, particularly at a time when divisions and conflicts continue to affect communities and societies around the world.
Pope Leo said that the Franciscan charism continues to bear fruit eight centuries after the saint’s death. He pointed to the continuing presence of the Franciscan family and to the spiritual gifts that Saint Francis has left to the wider Church.
The year 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis’ death and is being celebrated as a special Year of Saint Francis. The jubilee began on January 10, 2026, and will continue until January 10, 2027.
The Pope urged the faithful to pray for peace and to make a sincere commitment to building harmony among peoples. He entrusted this work to the intercession of the Virgin Mary before praying the Angelus.
After the prayer, Pope Leo renewed his appeal for peace during the month of October. He asked Christians to pray the Rosary for an end to wars and specifically remembered the Holy Land and innocent victims of violence.
He also referred to the A Million Children Praying the Rosary initiative, which is taking place from October 1 to 7 with the participation of children, families, schools and Christian communities in different parts of the world.
The Pope also announced an upcoming meeting at the Vatican marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, or The Joy of Love. The meeting will bring together the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and presidents of bishops’ conferences for a period of synodal reflection on families and younger generations.
For Pope Leo, the witness of Saint Francis therefore extends beyond the commemoration of an important anniversary. It offers a call to Christians to begin renewal with their own lives, strengthen relationships through fraternity and work actively for peace in a world marked by conflict and division.