The bones of St. Francis of Assisi went on public display for the first time Sunday, capping an 800-year saga over his bodily remains and confirming the enduring appeal to Christians of venerating a saint’s relics.
Personal power v. socialized power: What Machiavelli and St. Francis can tell us about modern CEOs
Niccolò Machiavelli, the infamous author of “The Prince,” wrote in the 1500s that the ideal leader makes and breaks solemn agreements. He creates alliances with weak allies to defeat a powerful enemy and then eliminates them one by one. He…
What An Online Theology Course Got Wrong About St. Francis
In early July, I took an online course that was supposed to be on Franciscan spirituality, but it turned out to be something totally different. After the first of the four daily sessions, I was rather frustrated, but I stuck…
The ‘Real’ Francis of Assisi Includes the Stuff of Legend
Late in the fourth century, a group of seven monks from a Jerusalem monastery went on a sightseeing trip to Egypt. But this was no ordinary vacation.
How the Pope teaches
Word is out that Pope Francis’ long-awaited encyclical on the environment will be published later this month with the title Laudato Sii—“Praised Be You”—words from the Latin text of St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Sun. (Baptist News Global…