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The Franciscan Spirit Through the Ages / 245 CHAPTER 10 TRADITION AND RENEWAL In its philosophical or theological doctrine, in the forms of its apostolate, in the aspects of its holiness, in the currents of its spirituality, Franciscanism is not uniform, monolithic, devoid of contrast, precisely because Francis himself was not a monolith. A poet, he was also firm in his ascetical demands; a mystic, he also showed himself filled with understanding of human weakness; humble and submissive to all, he also knew himself entrusted with a definite mission in the Church and in the world, and he did everything in his power to fulfill it. Thus the various families that make up the Franciscan world make Francis' spirit present and continue his mission. The Popes and Franciscanism The popes have not opposed this diversity; on the contrary, they have favored it—not only those who knew and encouraged Francis himself: Innocent III, Honorius III and Gregory IX; not only popes who were themselves Franciscan: Nicholas IV (d. 1292), Alexander V (d. 1410), Sixtus IV (d. 1484), Sixtus V (d. 1590) and Clement XIV (d. 1774), but also the popes of our own age. Without suggesting that influence on ecclesial authorities was limited to a single religious Order or ignoring the other currents of religious thought and sensibility of which those authorities availed themselves, we do not think it an exaggeration to see St. Francis' spirit in the teaching and activity of a Leo XIII or a John XXIII. When Benedict XIV decided in 1743 that the regular preacher of the pope and his household would thenceforth be a Friar Minor Capuchin (the edict is still in force), he made it possible for Franciscan spirituality to influence those entrusted with the care of the universal Church. Before he became pope, Benedict XIV had been under the spiritual direction of St. Leonard of Port Maurice and had promoted the Franciscan practice of the way of the cross, but he himself was not a Franciscan religious as was his successor Clement XIV (d. 1774). The latter ever remained, underneath the papal dignity, the simple Fra Lorenzo that he had been in his friary. We must admit, in fact, that he exaggerated Franciscan gentleness 246 / Willibrord C. VanDijk, O.F.M. Cap. to the point of weakness, allowing himself to be so overwhelmed by the arrogance of powerful men of the world that he ended up making decisions unfortunately detrimental to the interests of the Church. A century later we see another Franciscan-like figure at the head of the Church, an individual suffused with gentleness and holiness, but also uncommonly forceful. Leo XIII (d. 1903) was the first pope to take it upon himself to guide the Church toward the modern ideals of democracy. Through his encyclical on labor relations, Rerum Novarum, he set forth for Catholics of all classes their social obligations. Following his lead, all the recent popes have developed what has long been called "the Church's social teaching." Finally, knowing their personal bonds as Franciscan tertiaries with the Order of St. Francis, who could fail to see that the Poverello's love for the poor and insignificant, his hunger for peace and concord, inspired a Pius XII (d. 1958) and a John XXIII (d. 1963)? The Seventh Centenary of St. Francis (1882) The Franciscan event most widely associated with the name of Leo XIII is the worldwide celebration in 1882 of the seventh centenary of the birth of St. Francis. This date was, in fact, a landmark in the modern renewal of Franciscan spirituality. To understand its importance one must consider the events leading up to it. Ever since the beginning of the nineteenth century, a new interest in the person of St. Francis had been developing. It started in 1806, when Thomas of Celano's Vita Secunda was first published. Historical criticism in the modern sense did not yet exist, but there was at least an effort to document the facts. Then an unexpected event came along to thrust the Poverello's personality into the limelight. On December 2, 1818, after weeks of systematic, secret searching, the skeleton of Francis was found in the depths of the Basilica of Assisi. The embellishment of the crypt surrounding the restored tomb aroused people's interest in pilgrimages. These became more numerous and, through the veneration of the Saint's relics, soon brought about the rediscovery of his spirituality. [3.145.156.250] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 15:50 GMT...

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