The Lower Piazza of the Basilica of Saint Francis is transformed into a great place of fraternity. Accrocca: “Have the courage to make definitive choices”. Marco Erba:“Within every person there is a spark of beauty”. The first day of GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting ends with the silence requested by Fr. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM.
ASSISI, 4 August 2026 — The GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting opened last evening in the Lower Square of the Basilica of Saint Francis, gathering more than 2,500 young people from numerous countries across Europe and the world. Held as part of the Centenary Year of the death of Saint Francis (1226–2026) initiatives, the international gathering continues in Assisi until August 6.
The opening evening transformed one of the most emblematic sites of the Franciscan world into a great gathering of fraternity, where different languages, cultures and personal histories came together in the shared joy of encounter and in the spirituality of Saint Francis.
The event opened with words of greeting from friar Marco Moroni, OFMConv, Custos of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in Assisi, and from Davide Rondoni, President of the National Committee for the Celebration of the Eighth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis. The official Meeting anthem, “Ho fatto la mia parte” (I Did My Part), performed by friar Graziano Malgeri, OFM, and Sara Pinna, drew participants into the spirit of the event.
The first address was delivered by His Excellency Archbishop Felice Accrocca, Bishop of Assisi–Nocera Umbra–Gualdo Tadino and of Foligno, who offered the young people a fresh perspective of the Chapter of Mats of 1221, when thousands of friars gathered around Saint Francis at the Porziuncola.
Recalling that founding experience, the Archbishop invited participants to live out their vocation with courage, rising above the culture of impermanence that marks the present age. Franciscanism, he noted, continues to challenge new generations today, calling them to make authentic and lasting choices — choices capable of shaping a life fully given to others.
The reflection continued with the testimony of writer and teacher Marco Erba, who shared his daily experience among young people. He described how, even in the most difficult circumstances, it remains possible to recognise a beauty that withstands evil. Drawing on stories lived out in the classroom and on accounts marked by suffering and forgiveness, Erba encouraged participants to look beyond appearances and to recognise in each person that “spark” of goodness which no wound can extinguish. His message resonated deeply with the charism of Saint Francis and with the theme of the Meeting, which calls young people to become builders of fraternity and hope.
Moments of music and animation accompanied the evening, engaging the whole assembly and turning the piazza into a shared experience of celebration, friendship and prayer.
Friar Massimo Fusarelli,OFM, Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, closed the gathering. After an evening filled with song and testimony, he invited the young people to an intense moment of silence. “Let us bring before Saint Francis the person, the concern, the joy that each of us holds in our heart,” he said to those gathered. For several moments, thousands of young people remained in deep silence — the most powerful moment of the entire evening. “There will be many voices, many songs, much enthusiasm, but” Fr. Fusarelli concluded, “let us guard this silence: it is a precious source to carry with us during these days.”
They young people prayed all together with the Our Father, everyone in their own language, At the end friar Massimo gave the blessing that concluded the first day of the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting.
The programme has been continuing today with nine thematic workshops held across the principal Franciscan sites of Assisi and Santa Maria degli Angeli. It will culminate on Thursday, 6 August, with the young people’s meeting with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
At the close of the Eucharistic Celebration presided by the Pope, participants will receive a Missionary Charter, the fruit of their shared work carried out in the workshops and study sessions of the previous days. The document will gather the reflections, proposals and commitments developed by the young people on the great themes addressed during the Meeting — from peace to fraternity, from integral ecology to vocation.
The Charter will be entrusted as a commitment, so that each participant may carry the experience lived in Assisi back to their own local Churches and countries, extending over time the journey begun in the Centenary Year of the death of Saint Francis.
The GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting is promoted by the Seraphic Province of Saint Francis of Assisi of the Order of Friars Minor, the Province of the Immaculate Conception of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in Assisi of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, and the Diocese of Assisi – Nocera Umbra – Gualdo Tadino, in collaboration with the City of Assisi, with the support of the National Committee for the Celebration of the Eighth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis, chaired by the poet Davide Rondoni, together with the University of Perugia, and with the support of ENI, the event’s official sponsor.
For further information and press materials:
Full press release: https://www.goassisi.org/it/comunicato-stampa/
Official website: https://www.goassisi.org/it/
Programme: https://www.goassisi.org/it/programma/
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Press contact: info@goassisi.org
Link to the folder where media professionals can find photos, videos, and info related to GO! and the Holy Father’s visit https://bit.ly/CartellaStampaGOePAPALeone
