St. Joseph’s Altar, in the woods near St. Francis’ Eremo delle Carceri, Assisi ©Michelle Arnold Paine 2025
Pope Francis and Saint Francis
This reflection was first published as the May newsletter for the Network of Christians in Visual Arts
Over Easter, I was blessed to spend two weeks accompanying a group of Anglican pilgrims to Italy. With the passing of Pope Francis, it was an unexpectedly historic moment to be there. We were heading to Assisi when we heard of Pope Francis’ death, so our time in the city of St. Francis became a moment to meditate on the similarities between the lives of the two men: close to nature, close to the poor. The call of Christ to Saint Francis to “rebuild my church” is one which continues to resonate all these centuries later.
Basilica of Saint Francis: Lower Piazza, Oil on Panel, 24×24 ©Michelle Arnold Paine. Click to Purchase
In stark contrast to the simplicity of both Pope and Saint, some of the churches we visited were opulent spaces with ceilings, walls and floors covered with paintings, sculpture and fine architectural craftsmanship. I remember first visiting Italy as a college student encountering these visually stimulating sites and wondering, “For whose glory, God or the patrons?”
The Need for Artists
Pope Francis spoke to artists of some of the tensions in that question in a homily earlier this year: “Some might say: ‘But what is the use of art in our wounded world? Are there not more urgent, more practical, more pressing things to do?’ And yet, art is not a luxury, but something that the spirit needs.”
Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome ©Michelle Arnold Paine 2025
In recognizing the power of art, Pope Francis further emphasized the role artists hold as he spoke to their/our identity:
Dear artists, I see in you guardians of beauty who are willing to attend to the brokenness of our world, listen to the cry of those who are poor, suffering, wounded, imprisoned, persecuted or refugees. We live in a time when new walls are being erected, when differences become a pretext for division rather than an opportunity for mutual enrichment. But you, men and women of the world of culture, are called to build bridges, to create spaces for encounter and dialogue, to enlighten minds and warm hearts.
Over the years, I’ve accompanied close to a dozen groups of Christians to Italy on their first glimpse of sites full of Christian art and history. It is beautiful to observe how, through art, the visual storytelling of Christ’s life and Christian history speaks to one’s soul in a new way. The art that centuries of artists have created covers all those walls and ceilings, and it still resonates today.
May we build bridges, create spaces for encounter and dialogue, and enlighten minds and warm hearts wherever we are serving today!
