Pope Francis Signs New Encyclical ‘Fratelli tutti’ in Assisi

The pope arrived in a rainswept Assisi on Saturday afternoon, making a brief stop to greet another community of Poor Clares in the town, according to ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner.

He then celebrated Mass at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi in the Basilica of St. Francis. ACI Stampa reported that those present included religious representing various branches of the Franciscans, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, pontifical legate for the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, local Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, and Stefania Proietti, Assisi’s mayor.

The Mass, which was private but livestreamed, followed the readings for the feast of St. Francis. 

The Gospel reading was Matthew 11:25-30, in which Jesus praises God the Father, “for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.”

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Jesus then says: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The pope did not preach after the Gospel, but instead observed a moment of silence.

Before signing the encyclical on the tomb of St. Francis, he thanked officials from the Vatican Secretariat of State, present at the Mass, who oversaw the text’s translation from Spanish into different languages. 

Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato si’, had a title taken from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Sun.” Prior to that he published Lumen fidei, an encyclical begun by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.

Assisi is the focal point of several major Church events this fall, including the Oct. 10 beatification of Carlo Acutis, and the “Economy of Francis” summit, scheduled to take place in November.