In the year marking the 8th centenary of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, a small yet powerful sign of communion now links the Italian town of Assisi with the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.

The Friars Minor of the Seraphic Province of Umbria and Sardinia have donated a stone from the Porziuncola to the Vicariate. Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, personally received the relic in Assisi while taking part in a conference on the presence of Saint Francis and his charism in the Arab world.

A thread of memory connects the encounter between Saint Francis and Sultan Malik al-Kamil in Damietta in 1219 with the presence of the Franciscan charism in the Arabian Peninsula today. If Francis once crossed borders guided only by faith, humility, and the desire for peace, now the Porziuncola itself symbolically reaches the Gulf as a sign that the seed of fraternity planted centuries ago continues to grow.

A Place at the Heart of Franciscan Life

The Porziuncola occupies a unique place in Franciscan memory. It was there that Francis listened to the Gospel and understood his mission. It was there that the community of the Friars Minor took shape. It was there, in 1226, that Francis welcomed “Sister Death,” leaving to the world the witness of perfect joy and radical trust in God.

Bringing a stone from that sacred space to Abu Dhabi expresses that the Franciscan charism, born in Assisi, belongs to the whole Church and to all humanity.

“Receiving a stone from the Porziuncola means welcoming into our local Church a living memory of Saint Francis’ encounter with God,” Bishop Paolo said. “In a land where Christians come from many nations and cultures, this relic reminds us that the Gospel of peace, humility, and fraternity is always concrete and universal. The presence of this relic among us strengthens our vocation to be a Church of dialogue and encounter.”

A Stone from the Porziuncola

The stone comes from the presbytery of the Porziuncola and was preserved after the restoration works that followed the 1997 earthquake in Assisi, when the floor level of the chapel was lowered, and several stones were carefully conserved as relics. One of these stones has now found a home in the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.

To make the gift suitable for veneration by the faithful, a reliquary was crafted by Fra Cornelio Pallares, a Friar Minor known for his careful and meaningful work in preparing sacred objects. The reliquary allows the stone to be both protected and visibly present, offering visitors a simple but profound point of spiritual contact with the origins of Franciscan life.

The Relic’s Pilgrimage Across the Vicariate
During this centenary year, the relic will travel across the Vicariate of Southern Arabia, accompanying the pastoral visits of the Bishop and allowing the faithful to venerate it. In this way, the stone from the Porziuncola becomes not only a symbol preserved in one church, but a pilgrim among pilgrims.

The first stop of this pilgrimage will be Holy Spirit Parish in Ghala, Muscat (Oman), from 12 to 15 February, where the relic will be welcomed during the Bishop’s pastoral visit to the Catholic community.

From Assisi to the Gulf, this small stone becomes a bridge between memory and mission, reminding the Church in Southern Arabia that the path of Saint Francis continues wherever believers choose dialogue, simplicity, and peace.