On the (Imagined) Silent Gospel of St Francis

The Roman Catholic Church has a new pope – the first ever to take the name Francis – and American media outlets are filled with people extolling the St Francis – the 13th century figure – for his love of the poor, the environment and this quotation: “Preach the Gospel at all times.  Use words if necessary.”  I guess two out of three is not bad for American media these days.

St. Francis never spoke those words that are so often attributed to him.  It is as simple as that.  Click Here for a great blog post – from July 11, 2012 no less – that deals with this matter.