At his time of birth, there were extreme tensions between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. This caused Italy to be divided between the two groups and caused intense fighting among neighboring cities. Saint Francis was an extremely greedy man at that time, and used the war to his advantage. He joined a military campaign for wealth and honor at the age of 19. His hometown of Assisi had declared battle against the neighboring town of Perugia which opened up a path for Francis to gain …show more content…
Calling themselves the “Lesser Poor”, Francis’s religious group traveled around the world, converting people to Christianity. Although they faced many difficulties, Francis’s order, later called the “Franciscan Order”, persevered and spread the Catholic Faith. Finally, on November 29, 1223, the pope approved the Franciscans as an official religious group. The Franciscan Order traveled throughout the Mediterranean, including the cities of Rome and Egypt. Francis was also the first to create and celebrate the Nativity in 1223 in the city of