Toward the beginning of his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis made a connection between the theme of his pontificate and the concerns of St. Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical, “[St. Francis] was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and the outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved, for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness.
He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature, and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”
I think this brief quote, in a nutshell, was Francis’ agenda as pope.
“Cry out with joy to God, all the earth; O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise, alleluia.” (Psalm 66:1-2)
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