When Following Christ Means Challenging the Church: Lessons from St. Francis
Daniel P. Horan marks the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death by exploring a lesser-known aspect of his legacy: ecclesiastical disobedience. He shows how Francis sometimes chose the Gospel over church mandates when they conflicted with Christ’s teaching. Drawing on the idea of civil disobedience, Horan highlights two key examples: Francis’ journey to peace talks with Sultan Malik Al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade and his radical outreach to lepers despite strict church segregation laws. In both cases, Francis followed his conscience rather than conforming to ecclesiastical demands. Horan argues that Francis’ highest loyalty was always to the Gospel. His example challenges modern believers to weigh church policies against the command to love and serve all people, even when that means respectfully defying established authority.
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