Description

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"St. Francis is a universal man. During his life he preached to everyone, the learned and the ignorant, even to the birds and a wolf, according to Franciscan legend. One cannot speak of St. Francis except in a "Franciscan" way, that is in a simple, direct and - possibly - even in a poetic way. The blunt question that Brother Masseo asked St. Francis one day is well-known: "Why does everyone come to you? Why does the whole world run after you?" There is even more reason to pose the question today because the world that goes after the saint is no longer, as it was at that time, the little world of central Italy, but is, literally, the whole world, including many non-believers and members of other religions".

About the Author

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Father Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap. (born July 22, 1934) is an Italian Catholic priest in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He has served as the Preacher to the Papal Household since 1980, under Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.