“Whatever he discovers in creatures he guides to the Creator” : En studie om hur vi kan förstå St. Franciskus som miljömedveten, A study of how we can understand St. Francis as being environmentally conscious

Sammanfattning: This study investigated how we can understand St. Francis as environmentally conscious. The study also presents where those elements can be found in St. Francis own documents and from documents that describe St. Francis. The study also investigate what factors in 13th-century European society might have influenced such ideas. St. Francis of Assisi had a reverent attitude towards all animals and plants. He helped and took care of animals that were weak and vulnerable. He did this because he believed by doing so, they would praise the Lord. He considered some creatures more important than others because they reminded him of the Lord, for example the lamb. He thought long-term, instructing his brothers that they should not cut down a whole tree so that the tree could sprout again. He was environmentally conscious, even though this was because of God and not because he had actual concern for animals and plants themselves. He might have been conscious about the environment because of all the wars that destroyed fields. It might also have been because of the general exploitation of the forest, or a reaction against the Cathars and their negative thoughts about the material world.