In this classic work, Brazilian Leonardo Boff explores the relevance of St. Francis to contemporary spirituality and to the construction of a new church. Boff shows how "Il Poverello," the "Little Poor Man" of the 12th century embodies the Church's preferential option for the poor" As a "model of gentleness and care," Francis exemplifies how the spiritual and the social are never separate, but intimately bound together.
In his new preface Boff observes, "Through his deep humanity Francis of Assisi has become an archetype of the human ideal. He belongs not only to Christianity but to all humankind."
Leonardo Boff, a Brazilian theologian, is one of the original proponents of Latin American liberation theology. His many books include The Prayer of St Francis and Christianity in a Nutshell.