Francesco Live 2026 in Florence

From the 17th to 19th April 2026, Florence hosted the Francesco Live Meeting, promoted by the Franciscan Family of Tuscany, which brought together over 700 young people under the motto "Beyond the limit, peace". In the context of the eighth centenary of the Transit of St. Francis, the meeting wanted to reinterpret the extreme situations of our time as a place where humanity is decided: not only a paralysing frontier, but also a threshold of conversion, dialogue and hope, in communion with the local Church and with the desire for a more peaceful future. 

The opening of the festival, in the Salone dei Cinquecento of Palazzo Vecchio, was marked by the intervention of Br. Matteo Brena, OFM, who presented the centenary as a "transit" that invites us to look, inhabit and cross limits. This horizon was marked by the institutional greetings of Letizia Perini, councillor for youth policies, and Eugenio Giani, president of the Tuscany Region, who emphasised the link between the region's tradition of peace and Franciscan inspiration. In the same context, the words of Br. Roberto Pasolini, OFMCap, preacher of the Papal Household, helped dismantle the idea that limits are only defeated, while Eugenio's musical presence in Via Di Gioia offered a language of beauty and care for creation, capable of combining reflection and celebration.

On the second day, the city remained a "laboratory" of thought and listening. The morning opened with the energy of Lorenzo Baglioni, who accompanied the young people with songs and dialogue, introducing the day's themes with lightness and depth. The program was enriched with voices from journalism, culture and social reflection, and a broader look at contemporary conflicts thanks to the contributions of Greta Cristini, geopolitical analyst, and Msgr. Rodolfo Cetoloni, OFM, bishop emeritus of Grosseto and vice president of the John Paul II Foundation. 

A dialogue was also held between the Custos of the Holy Land, Br. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, and Agnese Pini, director of QN. At a time when war and suffering seem to impose a feeling of powerlessness, Br. Ielpo recalled that recognising one's own limitations is not resignation, but a journey towards a truer humanity: "Experiencing that you are not the saviour of the world helps us to be even more human, more profoundly human." From the concrete experience of those who accompany people wounded by conflicts, he insisted on the fact that we are not asked to do the impossible, but to be faithful to the simple gestures of care, capable of sustaining even a single family, a single person, as a real seed of peace. 

In the urban fabric of Florence, meanwhile, the "I listen to you" points between Piazza della Signoria, San Firenze and Santa Croce remained open, with the presence of friars, nuns, psychologists, and counsellors, offering a space for the wounds of the heart and mind to be welcomed. An invocation for peace was also held on the steps of San Miniato al Monte, with the participation of organisations such as Rondine Cittadella della Pace, the John Paul II Foundation, the Youth Ministry of the Archdiocese of Florence and the La Pira Centre. In this same horizon, the testimonies of young people from lands wounded by war were heard. 

In conclusion, in the Basilica of Santa Croce, the young people delivered their final document to the institutions: a stance against rearmament —"to hear the word 'rearmament' coming from the most representative minds of the continent is a shame"— and an invitation to build an "unarmed and disarming" peace, inspired by the gesture of Francis of Assisi who in 1221 sought dialogue with the Sultan; the manifesto also called for dignity in the cities in the face of precariousness, proposed to the mayor Sara Funaro the creation of a "permanent table of young people, believers and non-believers" in the wake of Giorgio La Pira and collected the opening of the MEP Dario Nardella to invite a delegation of Francesco Live to the European Parliament, in a closing accompanied by Irene Sanesi,  Br. Franco Buonamamo and the Eucharist presided over by Archbishop Gherardo Gambelli with Br. Livio Crisci and Br. Antonio Picciallo. 

Read the Final Message

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