Pope Leo XIV travels to Assisi to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic World Day of Prayer for Peace convoked by Pope John Paul II on October 27, 1986, which for the first time brought together in the city of Saint Francis the leaders of the world's great religions in prayer for peace. The event, promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio in continuity with its own International Meetings for Peace — whose 39th edition took place in Rome from October 26-28, 2025 on the theme "Daring Peace," concluding with an ecumenical prayer at the Colosseum — thus returns to the birthplace of Saint Francis for the 40th edition, coinciding with the fortieth anniversary of the "Spirit of Assisi." The Holy Father is expected to meet with representatives of the world's great religious traditions and renew the appeal for peace launched by John Paul II four decades ago. The 2026 edition, titled "Disarmed and Disarming Peace," runs from October 25-27: the Opening Assembly takes place on the afternoon of Sunday, October 25 at the UmbriaFiere exhibition center in Bastia Umbra, with forums, meetings and round tables featuring international figures on current issues; the events conclude on Tuesday, October 27 with the solemn Peace Ceremony, in the sign of the "Spirit of Assisi," in the Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco, attended by Pope Leo XIV. The Pontiff arrives in Assisi in the afternoon and privately meets some religious leaders; in the Lower Basilica of Saint Francis he presides, together with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, over the Christian prayer for peace with the other Christian leaders present, followed by his own meditation. He then moves to the square outside for the closing event with representatives of all thirteen religious traditions involved, where he gives a second address and greets those present before returning to the Vatican. The meeting closes with a joint declaration of peace signed by all the participating religious leaders. On October 13 the Pope successfully underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of the right lung (which turned out to be an adenocarcinoma), with post-operative hospitalization estimated at about a week. On October 14 the president of the Community of Sant'Egidio, Marco Impagliazzo, announced at a press conference that Pope Leo XIV's participation in the Assisi meeting is confirmed, about two weeks after the surgery. The friars of the Sacro Convento of St. Francis said they assure him of “our prayer — together with that of all the brothers and sisters — that you may face this difficulty with the utmost serenity.” Update of October 19: according to Vatican News, the Press Office has not yet given any forecast regarding the visit to Assisi; further updates on the Pope's activities are expected in the coming days.