Posted on 10/01/2025 12:48:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Italy could soon see October 4 reinstated as a national holiday in honour of St Francis of Assisi, after the country’s lower house of parliament overwhelmingly backed the move.
Supporters say the change is about more than just an extra day off work – it’s about reaffirming a piece of Italy’s soul.
Parliament backs St Francis Day return
On Tuesday, September 23, deputies in the Chamber voted 247 to 2 in favour of the bill, with eight abstentions. The legislation now heads to the Senate, where final approval is expected in the coming weeks. If passed, millions of Italians would once again enjoy a nationwide holiday marking the feast day of St Francis, who has been Italy’s patron saint since 1939.
The celebration was once part of the national calendar but was scrapped in 1977 during a sweeping cut to public holidays designed to boost productivity. For Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, bringing it back is a way to strengthen national identity. St Francis, Meloni has argued, represents “the core of our nation’s identity” through his devotion to the poor and message of peace.
A symbol of faith and identity While Italy remains one of Europe’s most Catholic nations – with almost 80 per cent identifying as Catholic – fewer Italians today regularly attend church. Data from statistics agency ISTAT shows that only 19 per cent attend weekly mass, while a recent CENSIS survey put the number of practising Catholics even lower, at just 15.3 per cent.
Even so, political leaders across the right-wing coalition have championed the idea. Chamber of Deputies president Lorenzo Fontana hailed Tuesday’s vote, saying: “Rediscovering St Francis also means reviving his message of peace, which is more relevant than ever.”
Grazia Di Maggio of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party went further, calling it a chance to remind Italians of their roots: “It will be the day when Italy remembers, once again, that it is a land with a tradition, a faith, and a soul that no one can erase.”
Holidays, politics and tradition The debate comes as other European countries wrestle with the balance between tradition and economic pressures. In France, former prime minister François Bayrou floated the idea of scrapping two public holidays to save money. The proposal triggered strikes and public anger, before being shelved by his successor Sébastien Lecornu earlier this month.
In Italy, the momentum is going in the opposite direction. For Meloni, reinstating St Francis Day fits neatly with her broader push to highlight traditional Catholic values and the family in her policies. Critics, meanwhile, argue that introducing another day off could weigh on an already fragile economy, though supporters insist the symbolic and cultural value outweighs the cost.
For now, Italians will have to wait and see whether the Senate gives its green light. But if it does, October 4, 2025 could mark the return of a holiday that blends faith, history and identity – and one that many Italians clearly feel has been missing for nearly half a century.
I was in Assisi last year on October 3rd. We had totally forgotten that the feast day was the next day.
Pilgrims were coming in from all over Italy.
We did catch the end of Mass at the church in Sorrento on October 4th. It was so crowded that we could not get into the church. So, we watched from outside.
When we were in Assisi it was pouring rain that day. It is a beautiful town perched on a hill overlooking the valley and hills. I don’t know how many churches there are in the town. Dozens at least. There are two saints buried there. Saint Francis in one cathedral. Saint Clara in the other. Then on the very top of the hill is a Norman fortress. In the center of the old town is a Roman building.
Our only regret was not spending at least a couple days there. Instead of a day trip from Florence.
Today:
Italian senate gives green light to bill ahead of 800th anniversary of St Francis of Assisi.
The Italian parliament has voted to reinstate 4 October as a national public holiday, restoring the day off in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi after almost half a century.
The Italian senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill launched by the centre-right Noi Moderati party after it was passed in the lower house last week with 247 votes in favour and just two against.
Is Grazia Di Maggio any relation to Guiseppe Di Maggio (Joltin’ Joe)?
RC ping
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