St. Francis and the Muslims

Today is the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, and a good time to recall his great and courageous witness.

Yes, that too, the preaching of purity and humility, the love of nature and animals, the spirit of poverty and simplicity…

But not everyone knows or recalls that St. Francis went to the Middle East to engage the Muslim world in a dialogue of peace, and he went straight to the sultan of the Saracens himself to start it. 

Francis, who was traveling with a companion, was not afraid to present himself before the sultan of the Saracens. But who can say with what constancy of mind he stood before him, with what strength of spirit he spoke, with what eloquence and assurance he answered those who insulted the Christian law? Before he was brought before the sultan he was captured by soldiers, insulted, and beaten with a lash; yet he was not afraid, was not terrified by the threats of torture, and did not grow pale when threatened with death. And though he was reproached by many who were opposed in mind and hostile in spirit, he was very honorably received by the sultan…

He was moved by Francis’ words and listened to him willingly.

So a mutually honorable dialogue resulted. Just what Benedict XVI is trying to engage. Francis put himself at great risk by going directly to the heart of the Saracens with his message. But as G.K. Chesterton noted in his biography of St. Francis,

Men liked him too much for himself to let him die for his faith; and the man was received instead of the message. But all these are only converging guesses at a great effort that is hard to judge, because it broke off short like the beginnings of a great bridge that might have united East and West, and remains one of the great might-have-beens of history.

Benedict has resumed that great effort and is trying to draw people of faith and goodwill in the East and West into a dialogue of peace. And that would go down in history as the great bridge of unity, if only he can get there.