Saint Mary of the Angels

Today is the Pardon of Assisi, and it isn’t the feast of a person: it’s an indulgence, which can be gained from noon on August 1 until midnight on August 2. It was granted in 1216 by Pope Honorius III at the request of Francis of Assisi. The main historical document on that grant is the Diploma of Theobald, drawn up by the bishop of Assisi and issued by the city’s curia on August 10, 1310. The traditional account says that one night in July 1216 Francis was praying in the little church of the Portiuncula when he had a vision of Jesus and Our Lady surrounded by angels. He was asked what grace he wished for, and he — who had long been praying for sinners — asked for complete forgiveness for anyone who, having confessed and repented, entered that church. This was huge, and it’s worth understanding why. At that time a plenary indulgence could be gained by going to the Holy Land or to Rome: long, dangerous and costly journeys, in other words something for the few. Francis was asking for it to be given to anyone who walked into a chapel four meters by seven. The pope agreed, they say, with some misgivings. The Portiuncula is still there, enclosed inside the great Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, at the foot of Assisi. It is the church Francis had repaired with his own hands, and the place where he died. If your name is Angelo or Angela, today is your name day.