Saint Francis to the Sultan of Egypt
Contrary to a myth spread by heretics, Saint Francis of Assisi was not the precursor of Vatican II’s interreligious dialogues, quite the opposite. As his life and writings clearly demonstrate, he was a devout and uncompromising Catholic who firmly held that the Catholic Faith is absolutely necessary for salvation.
Father Jacques of Autun, Capuchin preacher, Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, 1676:
[Saint Francis to the Sultan of Egypt:]
“… this crucified Jesus whom you make the object of your contempt and your blasphemies will give me back my life which will never end; I come on His behalf to proclaim to you His divine Word, which is not captive with me; upon this depends your eternal salvation and that of all your subjects; the Power of this God whom I preach to you surpasses that of all crowned heads, since it extends over souls as well as over bodies, and the severity of His Justice can eternally condemn you to the flames; do not allow yourself to be seduced by the delusions of your false prophet, whose ashes you revere, while his soul burns in Hell: Embrace the Law of Jesus Christ, and abandon that of Muhammad, if you do not wish to follow into torment those whose errors you profess.” 1
Saint Bonaventure, Legend of Saint Francis:
“After leaving the sea behind him, he went through the land scattering everywhere the seed of salvation, and he brought back abundant fruits from it. But the fruit of martyrdom had captivated his heart; he preferred above the merits of all the virtues a glorious death for the name of the Lord. He therefore took the road to Morocco in order to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Miramolin and to his nation, and thus to attain the palm after which he longed.
The desire that impelled him was so ardent that, despite the weakness of his body, he went far ahead of his travelling companion, so eager was he to arrive, and with his soul filled with holy rapture, he seemed to fly. But in Spain, heaven, reserving him for other purposes, sent him a serious illness which prevented him from going where he wished.
The man of God, therefore judging himself still necessary in this world to the children to whom he had given birth, returned to the tender sheep entrusted to his care, although he believed that death would be for him a true gain. But the ardor of charity was a spur that drove him toward martyrdom, and he tried a third time to go and spread at the cost of his blood the faith in the august Trinity.
In the thirteenth year after renouncing the world, he went to Syria and exposed himself to dangers of every kind in order to reach the Sultan of Babylon. At that time there was between the Christians and the Saracens an implacable war; the camps of the two armies were very close to each other, and no one could pass from one to the other without the risk of being massacred, for the Sultan had promised a piece of gold to anyone who brought him the head of a Christian.
But the valiant soldier of Jesus Christ, full of the hope of soon reaching the goal of his vows, resolved to set out, undaunted by death, or rather driven on by his desire. After praying and feeling strengthened by the Lord, he repeated with confidence these words of the Prophet: ‘Though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.’
Having taken as companion Brother Illuminatus, a man truly worthy of that name by his wisdom and virtue, he set out on his way. Soon they encountered two sheep. At this sight, the saint, filled with joy, said to his companion: ‘Trust in the Lord, my brother, for in us this word of the Gospel is fulfilled: I send you out as sheep among wolves.’
When they had gone further, they met the advanced guard of the Saracens, who, like wolves, rushed up and seized the servants of God, subjected them to cruel treatment, and after heaping insults and blows upon them, loaded them with chains.
Finally, after mistreating and afflicting them in every possible way, by a disposition of divine Providence they brought them before the Sultan, according to the saint’s desire. When the Sultan asked who had sent them and what was the purpose of their journey, Francis answered without fear: ‘I have not come on behalf of any man, but on behalf of the Most High God, to show you and your people the way of salvation, and to proclaim to you the Gospel of truth.’
Then he preached to the Sultan with such courage, such power, and such ardor about the God in three Persons and Jesus Christ, Savior of all men, that in him was clearly fulfilled this promise of the Lord: ‘I will put in your mouth words and a wisdom which none of your enemies shall be able to resist or contradict.’
Indeed, the Sultan, seeing the admirable zeal and virtue of the servant of God, listened to him willingly and urged him insistently to prolong his stay with him; but Francis, enlightened from on high, said to him: ‘If you wish to convert to Jesus Christ, you and your people, I will gladly remain with you. But if you hesitate to abandon the law of Muhammad for the faith of the Savior, have a great fire lit: I will pass through it with your priests, and you will then be able to judge which is the more certain and holier belief, and the one that deserves the adherence of your hearts.’
‘I do not think,’ replied the Sultan, ‘that any of our priests would agree, for the defense of his faith, to expose himself to the fire or to undergo any other kind of torment.’
In fact, he had seen one of his priests, a zealous man already advanced in age, take flight upon hearing Francis’s proposal. Then the saint added: ‘If you will promise me, for yourself and for your people, to embrace the faith of Jesus Christ if I come out safe and sound from the midst of the flames, I will go through them alone. If the fire makes me feel its heat, you will attribute it to my sins; but if the power of the Lord protects me, you will recognize that Christ is the power and the wisdom of God, that He is the true God and the Savior of all men.’
The Sultan declared that he did not dare accept such a proposal, for fear of seeing his people revolt. However, he offered him considerable and precious gifts. The man of God, full of contempt for the things of this world and desiring only the salvation of souls, despised all of it as if it were mud.
But this refusal, which showed in him such perfect disdain for earthly goods, won him still more the Sultan’s affection; and although he did not wish or did not dare embrace the Christian faith, he nevertheless begged the saint to accept his gifts so as to distribute them for his salvation among poor Christians or churches. Francis, who detested bearing the burden of riches and saw, moreover, no sign of true piety in the soul of the Sultan, did not in any way consent to his wish.
Then, recognizing that he would have no success with this nation and that he could not obtain the object of his desires, warned by a revelation from heaven, he returned to Europe.” 2
Father Silvestre Castet, Chronicles of the Friars Minor, 1680:
“There are authors who affirm that the Sultan, having recognized the truth of our faith through the preaching of Saint Francis, entreated him to pray to God for him so that He might strengthen him in the resolve he had to embrace it, and that later, having fallen ill, the Holy Father appeared to two of his religious who were in Syria and commanded them to go to this prince to instruct and baptize him; but because they did all this secretly, out of fear of the Saracens, many have doubted it; yet at the very least it is said that this prince did many good works in favor of the Christians, and it can be said that they were the fruits of the good seed that Saint Francis had sown in his heart: the Christians who had listened to his preaching and seen the marvelous conduct of his virtue profited even more from it, for several of the most notable men of the army joined him and entered his Order…” 3
Chronicles of the Friars Minor, 1680:
“Before leaving he wished to see the Sultan again, whose salvation he had at heart; he therefore returned to Egypt and again pressed this prince to convert; but he could draw from him only fine words and hopes for the future, the fear of his subjects, sworn enemies of the Christians, being stronger in the mind of this king than the knowledge he had of the truth of our Faith;
our Seraphic Father, seeing this irresolution, prayed to God with such fervor for the salvation of his soul that he obtained it, and God revealed to him his conversion and the time when it would occur, which was to be at the hour of his death, as we have said beforehand;
he revealed this secret to the Sultan, as to the one who had the greatest interest in it, who showed much joy at it and most earnestly begged the Saint not to leave him, for he had conceived a greater affection for him;
but Saint Francis was obliged, by the express counsel of God, to return to Italy, with the regret of having made so little progress in the conversion of this people, and of not having been able to gain the crown of martyrdom, for which he had shown such ardor.” 4
Abbot Riche A., Fioretti or Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi, 1847:
“Burning with zeal for the faith of Christ and urged by the desire to shed his blood for Him, Saint Francis resolved to cross the sea with twelve of his holy companions and to go to the Sultan of Babylon. Arriving in the land inhabited by the Saracens, the brothers found its frontiers guarded by men so cruel that a Christian could not pass there without losing his life. They escaped death, however, by divine protection; but they were seized, beaten, bound, and dragged before the Sultan.
When they were in his presence, Saint Francis, inspired by the Holy Spirit, began to preach the faith of Christ so divinely that, in the ardor of his zeal, he was ready to throw himself into the flames to bear witness to Him. This constancy in the faith, the generous contempt he showed for the world, the refusal he made, despite his poverty, of the gifts offered to him, all these dispositions struck the Sultan and inspired him with great esteem for the holy missionary; he asked him to come back often to visit him, allowing him and his companions to preach wherever they pleased; finally he gave him a watchword to protect him from any ill-treatment by his subjects…
However, Saint Francis, seeing that preaching was no longer bearing fruit in those lands, prepared, by divine inspiration, to return with his companions among the faithful. Having gathered them together, he went to take leave of the Sultan. The latter, before parting with him, said: Brother Francis, I would willingly convert to the faith of Christ, but I fear to do so now; for if my subjects came to know it, they would put to death you, your companions, and me myself. You can still render great services, and I, on my side, have several very important matters to conclude; I do not wish, therefore, to compromise either your life or mine. But please teach me the means I must employ to ensure my salvation; I am entirely ready to follow your counsel.
Lord, replied the Saint, I am going to leave you; but when I have returned to my country, when, by the grace of God, I have established my dwelling in heaven, I will send you two of my brothers who will give you baptism, and you will be saved. Such are the designs of God for you, and such is what He has revealed to me. But from now until then, hasten to free yourself from all worldly concerns, so that on the day when grace descends upon you, it may find you entirely ready to receive the faith.
The Sultan promised to conform to this advice, and he did indeed follow it. After this meeting, Saint Francis and his venerable companions left the land of the unbelievers, and a few years later, the Saint gave up his soul to God. Meanwhile the Sultan, having become infirm, awaited the fulfillment of the promise made to him. Guards whom he had stationed in several places on his frontiers had orders, as soon as they saw two brothers wearing the habit of Saint Francis, to bring them immediately to him. His expectation was not deceived; around that time the Saint appeared to two of his brothers and ordered them to go without delay to the Sultan and to procure for him the grace of salvation, according to the promise he had made him.
These two brothers obeyed at once, crossed the sea, and were brought by the guards to the Sultan, who, seeing them, cried out with joy: I recognize it now, yes, it is God Himself who sends me His servants to save me; and it was indeed by divine inspiration that Saint Francis had made me this promise. Immediately he was instructed in the truths of the faith, received baptism, which the brothers conferred upon him, and thus regenerated in Jesus Christ, he died of the illness from which he was suffering, and his soul was saved by the merits and prayers of Saint Francis.” 5