Franciscan Wisdom for a Global Future
by Brother Samuel SSF
Posted: 16 Jun 2010
St Francis of Assisi is perhaps the worlds most well-known and best-loved saint. But there's a danger in popularity.
About this author
Brother Samuel SSF is Minister Provincial at the Society of St Francis
Karl Oles - Posted: 23 Jul 2010
This piece has been written by an independent contributor and does not necessarily express the views of St Paul's Institute or St Paul's Cathedral.
95% of Brother Samuel's essay is great. It is wonderful to learn from St. Francis, appropriate to consider all parts of the earth and its contents as gifts from God, and appropriate to cultivate an attitude of charity, generosity, and peace towards our fellows. That's why the comments at the end of the essay come as such a shock. Brother Samuel, fresh from talking about global understanding, tosses out the casually contemptuous remarks that (1) ex-President Bush cares nothing for the earth, but is only interested in technology, and (2) the "American dream" is entirely selfish and material. These cartoonish slanders mar his otherwise interesting essay.