St. Francis & Theft

[BCole]

What is the moral view on St. Francis of Assisi stealing from his father to give to the poor?

It seems to me like even given the “good intentions” that it would still be a sin.

Any idea what the new Pope’s views are on this?

 

[jonathan_hili]

See CCC #2402:
“In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race. However, the earth is divided up among men to assure the security of their lives, endangered by poverty and threatened by violence. The appropriation of property is legitimate for guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of persons and for helping each of them to meet his basic needs and the needs of those in his charge. It should allow for a natural solidarity to develop between men.”

There has always been a current of moral thought in the Church that if someone has an excess of wealth and is proximate (in time and space) to others who are in dire poverty, the excess of wealth legitimately belongs to the poor.

St John Chrysostom said: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.”

St Gregory the Great said: “When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice.”

St Basil said: “A man who has two coats or two pair of shoes, when his neighbor has none, is a thief.”

Finally, even Aquinas said: “Whatever a man has in superabundance is owed, of natural right, to the poor for their sustenance. So Ambrosius says, and it is also to be found in the Decretum Gratiani: ‘The bread which you withhold belongs to the hungry: the clothing you shut away, to the naked: and the money you bury in the earth is the redemption and freedom of the penniless.’”

If St Francis’ actions were an example of this, it is not stealing but rather justice exemplified.

 

[BCole]

So, at what point is one poor enough to violate “Thou shall not steal” and “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s goods” and still be sinless?

 

[jonathan_hili]

So, at what point is one poor enough to violate “Thou shall not steal” and “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s goods” and still be sinless?

With regards to the “coveting”, I’m not sure that applies here, as it isn’t a matter of inordinate desire but justice. As for stealing, well, I guess it’s a judgement call: there may be some unclear cases but also some very obvious ones, e.g. it would not be unjust to tax a multimillionaire more heavily than others so that his excess of wealth can be distributed to the poor.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

See also:

Chapter Four

III. THE UNIVERSAL DESTINATION OF GOODS

a. Origin and meaning

1. Among the numerous implications of the common good, immediate significance is taken on by the principle of the universal destination of goods: “God destined the earth and all it contains for all men and all peoples so that all created things would be shared fairly by all mankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity”[360]. This principle is based on the fact that “the original source of all that is good is the very act of God, who created both the earth and man, and who gave the earth to man so that he might have dominion over it by his work and enjoy its fruits (Gen 1:28-29). God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favouring anyone.

This is the foundation of the universal destination of the earth’s goods. The earth, by reason of its fruitfulness and its capacity to satisfy human needs, is God’s first gift for the sustenance of human life”[361]. The human person cannot do without the material goods that correspond to his primary needs and constitute the basic conditions for his existence; these goods are absolutely indispensable if he is to feed himself, grow, communicate, associate with others, and attain the highest purposes to which he is called[362].

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html#Origin

 

[didymus]

What is the moral view on St. Francis of Assisi stealing from his father to give to the poor?

It seems to me like even given the “good intentions” that it would still be a sin.

Any idea what the new Pope’s views are on this?

Is “stealing” accurate?
Going by memory here but my impression is that the elder Assisi showered Francis with money, clothes, &c so he could live in high style appropriate to his station.
Imagine you sent your son to college, give him a Porsche for graduation, set him up in a condo, &c then he starts letting the homeless live in the condo, sells the car, gives away his allowance money.

Worse, he is supposed to inherit the family business (a clothier’s) and he starts to give away the cloth to the poor.

Crazy? Maybe. Like the prodigal son, Francis was in effect demanding (or taking) his inheritance in advance.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Is “stealing” accurate?
Going by memory here but my impression is that the elder Assisi showered Francis with money, clothes, &c so he could live in high style appropriate to his station.
Imagine you sent your son to college, give him a Porsche for graduation, set him up in a condo, &c then he starts letting the homeless live in the condo, sells the car, gives away his allowance money.

Worse, he is supposed to inherit the family business (a clothier’s) and he starts to give away the cloth to the poor.

Crazy? Maybe. Like the prodigal son, Francis was in effect demanding (or taking) his inheritance in advance.

You are right and then his father goes to the Bishop complaining and the Bishop does not have a chance to give an opinion:

1. When brought before the bishop, Francis would brook no delay nor hesitation in anything: nay, without waiting to be spoken to and without speaking he immediately put off and cast aside all his garments and gave them back to his father. Moreover he did not even keep his drawers but stripped himself stark naked before all the bystanders. But the bishop, observing his disposition, and greatly wondering at his fervor and steadfastness, arose forthwith, gathered him into his arms and covered him with the mantle which he himself was wearing.9 He understood clearly that “the counsel was of God,” and perceived that the actions of the man of God which he had witnessed enfolded a mystery. Immediately therefore the bishop became his helper, and, cherishing and encouraging him, he embraced him in the bowels of charity.

Celano I

indiana.edu/~dmdhist/francis.htm#1.5

 

[BCole]

I think stealing is an accurate term. In the Catholic Encyclopedia on NewAdvent.org, they have this:

Not long after his return to Assisi, whilst Francis was praying before an ancient crucifix in the forsaken wayside chapel of St. Damian’s below the town, he heard a voice saying: “Go, Francis, and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin.” Taking this behest literally, as referring to the ruinous church wherein he knelt, Francis went to his father’s shop, impulsively bundled together a load of coloured drapery, and mounting his horse hastened to Foligno, then a mart of some importance, and there sold both horse and stuff to procure the money needful for the restoration of St. Damian’s. When, however, the poor priest who officiated there refused to receive the gold thus gotten, Francis flung it from him disdainfully. The elder Bernardone, a most niggardly man, was incensed beyond measure at his son’s conduct, and Francis, to avert his father’s wrath, hid himself in a cave near St. Damian’s for a whole month. When he emerged from this place of concealment and returned to the town, emaciated with hunger and squalid with dirt, Francis was followed by a hooting rabble, pelted with mud and stones, and otherwise mocked as a madman. Finally, he was dragged home by his father, beaten, bound, and locked in a dark closet. .