Francis of Assisi: An Invitation to “Brotherhood/Sisterhood” as an Alternative to the Profit Economy of Medieval Europe

Pope Francis will visit to Korea in August 2014. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 76-year-old Archbishop of Buenos Aires, has become the 266th Before we start, however, we are faced with the “Franciscan Question,” or the problem of “historical Francis,” so to speak. Francis himself said in the Earlier Rule (1209/10-1221): “On behalf of Almighty God and of the Lord Pope… I, Brother Francis, firmly command and decree that no one delete or add to what has been written in this life.”Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first Jesuit Pope, the first Pope from the global South, and the first non-European Pope since Pope Gregory III in 741. What attracts me most, however, is that he is the very first Pope who chose his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis, like his papal name, has emphasized the Christian obligation to assist the poor and practiced it by himself by choosing to reside in a guesthouse, rather than the Apostolic Palace, and cook his own supper. “My people are poor and I am one of them,” said the Pope. Born in 1181 or 1182, St. Francis of Assisi died in 1226 when he was only 44. He did not live long, but his life left a great legacy to Western Christianity. Pope Pius XI called him the “Second Christ”(alter Christus); others called him “the first after the Only Son” or “the incomparable saint.” I write this article on St. Francis with the expectation that Pope Francis’ visit to Korea will serve as momentum to raise awareness of people with the significance of Christian spirituality of poverty. The life and faith of St. Francis can be the antidote for Korean churches which are enslaved to neo-liberalism and addicted to so-called the “prosperity theology.” For this purpose, I will first investigate the socio-religious context of St. Francis and the meaning of “brotherhood/sisterhood” and “obedience” in Franciscan movement. I will then discuss the significance, implications, and limits of Francis’ understanding on “poverty” as evangelistic ideal of Christian discipleship.