By Crispian Balmer
ROME (Reuters) -Italy’s parliament voted on Wednesday to restore a national holiday in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the country’s patron saints, almost half a century after it was abolished.
The annual holiday will fall on St. Francis’s feast day on October 4, with the measure taking effect from next year, which marks the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the decision, saying St. Francis was beloved by all Italians.
“The national holiday will be an opportunity to celebrate an extraordinary man and to remind us, each year, who we are and what unites us,” she said in a statement.
The lower house backed the bill last week by 247 votes to two, showing broad cross-party support for the measure, with the Senate’s constitutional affairs committee giving final approval on Wednesday in a fast‑track procedure.
The holiday was first introduced in 1958 but scrapped in 1977 as part of an austerity drive.
St. Francis, renowned for his vow of poverty, closeness to nature and inspirational preaching, founded the Franciscan order and was canonised in 1228. The new law frames the holiday as a tribute to his values of peace, brotherhood and the protection of the environment.
The holiday will join Italy’s 12 existing national celebrations, including April 25 Liberation Day and June 2 Republic Day.
The government estimates the holiday will cost the state around 10 million euros ($11.7 million) in overtime for police and health workers. However, this forecast does not take into account the potential impact on national productivity levels.
In sharp contrast with Italy, France this year suggested scrapping two of the country’s 11 public holidays as part of a deeply unpopular plan to plug a budget hole. The French government has since fallen, meaning the proposal has fallen by the wayside.
France’s statistical agency INSEE put the boost to GDP of the proposed holiday cut at just 0.06%, suggesting Italy’s new holiday won’t punch a major hole in state accounts.
October 4 falls on a Sunday in 2026, so the first new weekday day off for Italians to enjoy will come in 2027.($1 = 0.8523 euros)
(Reporting by Crispian BalmerEditing by Keith Weir)
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