Italy's President Mattarella: St. Francis was more than an ecologist, pacifist, or social worker (Presidenza della Repubblica)

President Sergio Mattarella stated that St. Francis of Assisi should be viewed as more than just an ecologist, pacifist, or social worker. Speaking in Assisi on October 4 during the 800th anniversary of the saint's death, Mattarella noted that Francis and his disciple, Clare, were primarily driven by their love for God and the Gospel.

Mattarella suggested that the most authentic way to understand Francis is through his private spiritual life, specifically his long conversations with God in the grotto at the Shrine of La Verna. He also pointed to the saint's unexpected kiss to a leper as a defining example of his charity.