On January 25, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, inaugurated the new pilgrimage path “St. Anthony in the Footsteps of St. Francis” at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Ras Al Khaimah. The event marked the beginning of a new spiritual itinerary offered to the faithful of the Vicariate during the Franciscan Jubilee Year.

This initiative is rooted in the recent experience of the Jubilee of Hope, during which the parish in Ras Al Khaimah was designated as the Vicariate’s Jubilee Church in the UAE. As a lasting fruit of that year of grace, Bishop Paolo decided that the parish would continue to serve the Vicariate as a stable “center of pilgrimage and spiritual life.”

In this context, the proclamation by Pope Leo XIV of a Franciscan Jubilee Year, marking the 800th anniversary of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi, offered a providential opportunity to give the pilgrimage center a renewed focus. 

The newly inaugurated path invites pilgrims to rediscover the Gospel through the life and witness of St. Anthony of Padua, a faithful disciple of St. Francis of Assisi, and to walk a journey of conversion, prayer, and renewal inspired by the Franciscan charism.

In his homily, Bishop Paolo underlined that Saint Francis and Saint Anthony “show us that it is possible for us, too, to follow Jesus today,” even through the challenges of life. In inaugurating the new path, he invited the faithful “to know these saints more deeply” and “to walk together as a Christian community, following their example.”

Bishop Paolo especially urged the youth to open themselves to the Lord’s call: “Have the courage to live up to your greatest desires, as Saint Francis and Saint Anthony did; have the courage to follow Jesus!”

During the inauguration, Bishop Paolo blessed the 13 stations of the path, in the church compound. Each station highlights a key moment in the life of St. Anthony, read in the light of his Franciscan vocation: from his call to serve God and his decision to become a Franciscan, to his encounter with St. Francis, his mission as a preacher, and finally his embrace of “Sister Death,” echoing the spirituality of the saint of Assisi.

Each station proposes a theme for reflection, prayer intentions, and a guided prayer, allowing pilgrims to experience the journey as a true pilgrimage, walking step by step in the footsteps of St. Anthony and St. Francis.

The pilgrimage experience is further enriched by the “Saints’ Gallery”, recently expanded with sacred relics now offered for veneration, encouraging pilgrims to grow in faith, hope, and love through the intercession of the saints.

Inviting the faithful of the Vicariate to take advantage of this Franciscan Jubilee Year, Bishop Paolo encouraged them to come, to walk this path, and to experience forgiveness and renewal.