Start Date
4-26-2023 12:30 PM
Disciplines
History
Subjects
St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi, Catholicism, Catholic Ideology, Feminism, Franciscanism, Hagiography, High Middle Ages, Italian History, Medieval Europe, Misogyny, Order of Friars Minor, Order of Poor Ladies, Pope Francis, Thomas of Celano
Abstract
St. Francis of Assisi is undoubtedly one of the most famous saints in the Catholic Church. Known for his complete poverty and deep love for the poor and animals, the Little Poor Man of Assisi has become renowned for his way of life and the fraternity he started that has continued for over eight hundred years. In an organization rife with cardinal sin, Francis was in stark contrast with his asceticism and rankless order. However, St. Francis’ entire ideology is built on the Catholic belief that women are inherently inferior to men and dangerous to those following God. Francis used feminine descriptors to denote his inferiority to God and saw relationships with women—platonic and romantic—as the gravest of sins. Despite facing immense challenges in pursuing the saint’s faith, women have been some of the most devout and important Franciscans. St. Francis is deserving of recognition for his humility, care for those who could not care for themselves, and the movement he inspired within the Church; however, the hateful beliefs that drove the saint to his good deeds in the first place must be central in any Franciscan study.
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39818
Included in
“An Impediment to Those Who Would Walk the Difficult Way”: How St. Francis of Assisi’s Revolution in Catholic Thought Was Built on the Perceived Inferiority of Femininity
St. Francis of Assisi is undoubtedly one of the most famous saints in the Catholic Church. Known for his complete poverty and deep love for the poor and animals, the Little Poor Man of Assisi has become renowned for his way of life and the fraternity he started that has continued for over eight hundred years. In an organization rife with cardinal sin, Francis was in stark contrast with his asceticism and rankless order. However, St. Francis’ entire ideology is built on the Catholic belief that women are inherently inferior to men and dangerous to those following God. Francis used feminine descriptors to denote his inferiority to God and saw relationships with women—platonic and romantic—as the gravest of sins. Despite facing immense challenges in pursuing the saint’s faith, women have been some of the most devout and important Franciscans. St. Francis is deserving of recognition for his humility, care for those who could not care for themselves, and the movement he inspired within the Church; however, the hateful beliefs that drove the saint to his good deeds in the first place must be central in any Franciscan study.