From the editor: Wealthy adventurer, wayward son, rebel, soldier, itinerant preacher, defender of the poor, mystic, environmentalist before his time, friend of animals-for ages, no other saint has so forcefully captured our imagination as Francis of Assisi. Yet our knowledge of Francis comes mainly from legends and years of pious iconography that have obscured the man behind the image. Now Donald Spoto casts a new light on the beloved saint, placing him within the context of the multifaceted ecclesiastical, political, and social forces of medieval Italy-a time when concern for the common good, the poor, and the sick was virtually unknown. Francis struggled to reinstate these priorities, which he believed lay at the heart of the Gospel's message, and in the process pioneered a new social movement. Drawing on unprecedented access to unexplored archives, plus Francis's own letters, Spoto offers a nuanced and fully drawn portrait of the saint, from his epiphany to his failures and struggles in later life, revealing both Francis the man and Francis the social innovator.

"Donald Spoto's Reluctant Saint revolutionized my thinking about Francis of Assisi. The book confronts us in much the same way Francis confronted his contemporaries-with open arms." -VERY REVEREND ALAN JONES, DEAN OF GRACE CATHEDRAL, SAN FRANCISCO

Pages: 256
Special Interest: Saint Francis of Assisi, Catholicism, Mysticism, Religion, Selflessness, Spirituality, Studies & Application.