Assisi Relic Spectacle: Modernist Sect’s Naturalistic Piety

The cited article from EWTN News reports on the public display of St. Francis of Assisi’s skeletal remains in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, from February 22 to March 22, 2026, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. It describes a highly organized event with QR code reservations, allowing approximately 750 people every 30 minutes to view the bones in a glass case. Pilgrims are portrayed as experiencing deep emotion, tranquility, and a sense of connection to the saint. The new Bishop of Assisi, Felice Accrocca, and the Franciscan friars frame the event as a historic opportunity for reflection and encounter, emphasizing St. Francis’s conformity to Christ and the message of his faith in the resurrection. The article concludes that the event successfully facilitates a personal, affective devotion without any reference to doctrinal boundaries, sacramental life, or the legitimacy of the ecclesiastical authorities organizing it. **This event represents a profound reduction of Catholic relic veneration to a naturalistic, sentiment-driven spectacle orchestrated by a modernist sect, utterly divorced from the supernatural ends and hierarchical context of the true Catholic Church.**