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Poverty, Peacemaking, and the Sacred; A Girardian Reading of the Early Franciscan Movement

by Liam Kelly, OFM

In recent decades numerous scholarly biographies of Francis of Assisi
have appeared. Historically critical studies of the early Franciscan
movement have, likewise, thrown new light on the theological and
spiritual commitments of the men and women who followed the Poverello.
Francis of Assisi and his movement have begun to emerge from the
partisan records of late medieval polemics, and from later romanticised
representations. Recent critical studies have made possible new and
intriguing representations of Saint Francis and his Order.

In this book, Liam Kelly, OFM brings the Saint and the early Franciscan movement into
dialogue with the contemporary theorist René Girard. Girard’s mimetic theory
is a compelling exploration of desire, community, conflict, and the Gospels.
Girard follows the threads of mimesis (imitation) and desire through great
literature, culture, history, and theology. In Poverty, Peace-making, and the
Sacred, these same threads are gathered from the various accounts of Saint
Francis’ life and accounts of the movement he founded. This book offers a
mimetic reading of the Poverello and his times. The story of Saint Francis,
when cast as a mimetic conversion, loses none of its charm. Rather, we
encounter a compelling figure and a remarkable movement which, despite
the passage of several centuries, speaks persuasively to contemporary people
wrestling with questions of belonging, desire, rivalry, and hope.

Liam Kelly OFM is a Franciscan friar of the Province of Ireland. He is
Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Mary Immaculate College, University
of Limerick, Ireland.

pb ISBN: 978-1-57659-476-6