The Little Poor Man

Karen Popp writes that St. Francis did not view nature as a sentimental or vague background, but rather as a collection of distinct, sacred entities.

In an analysis for The Catholic Thing, Popp argues that St. Francis rejected the idea of the material universe as mere scenery. Instead, he perceived every creature, such as a bird or a bush, as an individual having a specific story and purpose. Popp suggests that St. Francis viewed each element of creation as a child of God and a brother or sister to humanity, rather than part of a unified, romanticized landscape.