Bones of St. Francis of Assisi Go On Display for First Time

The bones of St. Francis of Assisi went on public display for the first time Sunday, capping an 800-year saga over his bodily remains and confirming the enduring appeal to Christians of venerating a saint's relics. Nearly 400,000 people registered in advance in Italy to see the bone fragments, which are contained in a slim, bulletproof Plexiglas case in the lower Basilica of St. Francis in the hilltop Umbrian town the medieval friar made famous. The Franciscans decided to exhibit the bones for one month, through March 22, the AP reports, to honor the 800th anniversary of Francis' death in 1226. The aim is to revive his message of peace and fraternity that made him one of the most beloved Christian saints and inspired Pope Francis to take his name, the first pope to do so.

• Francis' life: The exposition of his bodily remains is particularly remarkable given the somewhat tortured history of the body of St. Francis, a wealthy merchant's son born in 1182 who gave up all his possessions to live as a mendicant friar. At the end of his life, St. Francis' body was said to have acquired the stigmata, the first documented case of a saint acquiring the marks of Jesus on the cross.
• The remains' journey: In death, his body was lost for hundreds of years, after it was secretly buried by one of his followers who feared it would be stolen during the fight over relics that was common in Christianity in the Middle Ages. That history is recounted in an exhibition mounted in the Franciscan convent, adjacent to the basilica, which pilgrims can visit as part of their appointment to pass by the bones.
• The beliefs: Brother Giulio Cesareo, spokesman for the Franciscans in Assisi, said the exposition wasn't a macabre celebration of the dead. Rather, he said, it was part of the long tradition of Christians venerating the physical remains of saints to experience the spirit that lived in them. "It is not so much about venerating Francis, but rather encountering Francis by venerating the Holy Spirit who filled that humanity and made it capable of giving itself," he said. "And it is, at least for a believer, a way to renew oneself in this one life." Silvanella Tamos said Sunday that she traveled to Assisi from Pordenone, north of Venice, with a group of 54 people from her diocese. "It's a body that's alive," she said. "It's not a dead body. He still has a lot to tell us today."

• Interest in relics: Over centuries, the fascination with relics has of course led to abuses, with thefts, forgeries and now online sales all part of their history. But that doesn't diminish their hold on the faithful, said Sean Pilcher, who runs Sacra: Relics of the Saints, which provides consulting and authentication services to the Catholic Church. If the saints are our brothers and sisters in heaven, "then it makes sense that we're going to have things that we hold on to," he said. "And what the church does is just take this natural desire that we all have for connection and belonging and direct it in a way that leads us toward Christ." What is remarkable to a viewer today is how tiny St. Francis seems: He was known to suffer poor health and nutrition, and the delicate, slight skeletal bones seem to confirm his diminutive stature.
• The moment: For Fiorella Farina, a resident of northern Reggio Emilia who is so devoted to St. Francis that she bought a country house in Assisi and named her children Francesco and Francesca, the exposition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "Just talking about it gives me goosebumps," she said outside the basilica. St. Francis, she said, went against all societal norms to live out the Gospel message of peace and to care for the poor and the environment. "In this historic moment, we need him," she said.