A votive statue of Italy's patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, left, is on display among other religious items at a shop in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, March 1, 2025.

For Assisi’s current bishop, the Rev. Domenico Sorrentino, St. Francis’ renunciation of material encumbrances also signaled his love of creation and of peace. “Francis, stripping himself, came back to ...

Upon his ascension to the papacy, the late pontiff chose the name Francis in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century saint known for his poverty, humility, and peace advocacy.

A votive statue of Italy's patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, left, is on display among other religious items at a shop in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, March 1, 2025.

ASSISI, Italy (AP) — As Pope Francis entered his third week in a hospital battling pneumonia, hundreds of pilgrims continued to make their way to this hilltop town to pray at the tomb of St ...

For Assisi’s current bishop, the Rev. Domenico Sorrentino, St. Francis’ renunciation of material encumbrances also signaled his love of creation and of peace. “Francis, stripping himself ...

ASSISI, Italy (AP) — As Pope Francis entered his third week in a hospital battling pneumonia, hundreds of pilgrims continued to make their way to this hilltop town to pray at the tomb of St ...

For Assisi’s current bishop, the Rev. Domenico Sorrentino, St. Francis’ renunciation of material encumbrances also signaled his love of creation and of peace. “Francis, stripping himself ...

ASSISI, Italy (AP) — As Pope Francis entered his third week in a hospital battling pneumonia, hundreds of pilgrims continued ...

Who was St. Francis? In 1182, Francis was born to a wealthy family in Assisi, which rises above a fertile valley in central Italy. Praying in front of a crucifix, he heard a call to reform the church.