On October 4 1226, Francis died in the town of Assisi, albeit his death certainly did not kill off his influence. Two years later, on July 16, he was canonized and declared a saint by then Pope Gregory IX. This lead to the building of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy where most of his venerated remains are buried.
More than half a millennium has passed and yet St. Francis continues to remain a prominent figure in the Catholic Church today. In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis of Assisi as the heavenly patron of ecology by issuing a papal bull. Thereafter on his feast day, October 4th, animals would be blessed in honour of this great saint.
“Among the holy and admirable men who have revered nature as a wonderful gift of God to the human race, St Francis of Assisi deserves special consideration.”
POPE JOHN PAUL II © DENNIS JARVIS – FLICKR | CC BY-SA 2.0
Even today, the present Holy Father of the Catholic church, Pope Francis, has expressed his reverence and impact St. Francis of Assisi had on him. In fact, Jorge Mario Bergoglio took this saint’s name as a guide when elected the leader of the Catholic church in 2013 making him the first pope to carry the name of Francis. His recent encyclical, ‘Laudato Si‘ which addresses the current ecological crisis, was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi as well.
“I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians.”
POPE FRANCIS ©CATHOLIC CHURCH ENGLAND AND WALES – FLICKR | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In his encyclical, he reaffirmed how the saint’s conviction of God and all of His creation far surpasses that of an unsophisticated romanticism. The humble saint of Assisi transcends the mere disciplines of science and reason, diving deep into the heart of humanity and the world. The splendor of which he saw in all creation, from the greatest elements to the smallest creatures, would cause him to burst into a song of praise to God. Pope Francis emphasises that this is not just a mere attraction of the intellectual or emotional sense to nature, but an intimate integration of the soul with the Creator and all His creation.
The Impact of Spiritual Leadership on Pro-environmentalism
Through these examples we can see how St. Francis has deeply impacted the spiritual giants of the modern-day Catholic church. This influence on spiritual leaders is a noteworthy impact of his ecological influence. Spiritual leaders such as St. John Paul II and Pope Francis have used their authority to signal a pro-environmental stance of the church which is then disseminated to its members. Spiritual leadership in institutions has indeed been found to allow for the operation of collective social influence processes to influence a greater concern for the environment. This is due to the presence of an established social network and sense of membership within religious institutions. St. Francis’ ecological consciousness is reinforced when Catholics too experience a transcendence of their lives towards the Creator and His creation. It also allows for an aligning of existing personal and institutional pro-environmental values and attitudes. These are factors that can stimulate a greater concern for the environment through the influence of spiritual leadership.
Read on about St. Francis’ fraternity of nature and his influence on an ethic of care for creation.