After realizing that without the Pope’s approval, the order that had just begun could not continue in concert with the Magisterium of the Church, St. Francis of Assisi boldly set forth with a group of his brothers to Rome to meet him. It was during this trip that he also brought his beloved St. Clare to the convent. She would later found her own convents that would become the Poor Clares who exist until this day.
St. Francis of Assisi’s Initial Reception with the Pope
Arriving in tattered rags and bowing before the Pope, all the Pope’s legates appeared disgusted by their appearance. St. Francis of Assisi made a moving appeal to these men who were adorned with such luxury and wealth. The Pope very patiently told St. Francis that he, too, once wished to live the gospel ideal when he was young. But realized it was not possible as he grew older and followed his path in the church.
St. Francis of Assisi replied that if we are to say that it is not possible to live the Gospel, then why do we have a church? Those present were shocked at his blunt and aggressive approach. But St. Francis of Assisi maintained his status, completely prostrate before the Pope on the floor, referring to him reverentially but asking for his blessing upon their order. The Pope stood up and walked out.
The Cardinals and Bishops had made their objections known to the Pope about the order and he played devil’s advocate again and asked, “How will you live? What will you live on without money?” To which St. Francis of Assisi replied, “Lord, I leave it to my Lord Jesus Christ. If he has promised to give us eternal life, he will certainly not deny us, when the time comes, the indispensable necessities for our material life on this earth.” The Pope excused him and told him to come back only if he had a sensible plan for his order.
St. Francis of Assisi’s Parable and Second Reception with the Pope
St. Francis returned the next day and told the Pope a parable that he had been inspired to share. A rich king had married a very beautiful but poor woman in the desert who had given him many children, but she had stayed in the desert. When the sons grew up, they complained that they had nothing to her reply that they were sons of a king and if they needed something they should go to him and ask. Going to the palace of the king, he was stricken by how glorious these sons appeared and asked them where they had come from and who they were. They replied that they were the sons of the poor woman in the desert to which the king said, “Have no fear, you are my sons. Those who are nothing to me are nourished at my table, all the more reason why I shall take care of you.”
Francis concluded his story by saying, “There is no danger that the sons and heirs of the eternal king will die of hunger, for the king in the parable was Christ, who would provide for everything; and it was he, Francis, who had given birth to them.”
Silence pervaded the Cathedral hall.
The Pope Speaks of a Dream
Walking towards the man covered in mud lying prostrate on the floor before him, Pope Innocent IIIrd looked him straight in the eye and related a dream he had the night before which he shared had left him feeling disquieted. Sleeping on a bed, he saw himself with a tiara on his head. The Lateran Basilica, a church, was tilted to one particular side at an angle, dangerously close to collapse. But in his dream, a little beggar, a monk, leaned against the pillars of the church with his shoulder. And this little mud-covered man wearing rags held up the Church and kept it from collapsing. The man, Pope Innocent IIIrd said, was Francis.
Historical Differences
According to St. Bonaventure’s account, the Pope approved the Franciscan order at that moment, although there are other accounts which say there was a delay. But in popular stories, St. Francis left Rome as the new founder of the Franciscan Order of the Lesser Brothers.
Sources: Saint Francis – A Film by Michele Soavi, Francis of Assisi Complete Writings in Three Volumes, The Saint, The Founder, The Prophet – Compiled by Regis Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., J. A. Wayne Hellmann, O.F.M. Conv., William J. Short, O.F.M., The Little Flowers of St. Francis – By Raphael Brown, Saint Francis of Assisi – By Thomas of Celano, God’s Fool: The Life and Times of St. Francis of Assisi, By Julien Green, Clare of Assisi, The Lady – Translation by Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, Tranlsation by Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., and Ignatius C. Brady, O.F.M., Clare of Assisi: Her Spirituality Revealed in her Letters – By Claire Marie Ledoux
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