The Church celebrates in 2026 the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, which has been commemorated with exposition of the saint’s relics, plenary indulgences in Franciscan churches or churches dedicated to his name, and several conferences in Rome and beyond.
But why is a friar who lived 800 years ago still one of the Church’s most beloved saints and how does his message still resonate with Catholics today? The Pillar spoke with Cardinal Jaime Spengler, OFM, Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil, about Saint Francis of Assisi, Franciscan spirituality and philosophy.
Spengler, who also serves as the president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil and the Latin American Episcopal Council, joined the Franciscans in 1982, made his solemn profession in 1985 and, after studies in the Holy Land, was ordained a priest in 1990. He then worked as a seminary and novice formator and teacher and completed a doctorate in philosophy in the Antonianum in Rome in 1998.
After working in several leadership positions and Franciscan-ran parishes in Brazil, he became the auxiliary bishop of Porto Alegre in
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