Act IV scene 2

ACT IV

Scene 2 “St. Francis and the Sultan”

Setting: forest (left side); Muslim camp (centre) ; nativity crèche (right side)

CURTAIN opens on forest scene

SHEPHERD:  Did you ever hear anything more about Saint Francis after he left Assisi?

WOLF:  I heard lots about him!  He’s so famous, and kept  very busy.  First of all, he preached to the birds and animals in the forest, and I heard that later he even preached to some fish.  Best of all, he finally managed to go to preach to the Muslims.

SHEPHERD:  Oh-oh!  That’s dangerous!  Did they kill him?  Is he a martyr?

WOLF:  As saint, but not a martyr.  I think he would have happily given his life for Christ, but it didn’t happen, even though he did put himself in great danger. 

SHEPHERD:  Where did that happen?  Was he hurt?  How did you hear about that?

WOLF:  Wait a minute!  One question at a time!  It’s quite complicated, because for the longest time everyone thought Brother Francis was dead.  He tried three times to leave Europe to go to the Holy Land, or Morocco to be martyred.  The first time, it was on an ill-advised crusade called the Children’s Crusade.  The Pope didn’t want them to do it, but many children and shepherds from all over Europe decided to go to the Holy Land and rescue Jerusalem from the hands of the Muslims.  They left on a boat and all disappeared.  Some drowned and some were captured by pirates and taken to be slaves or killed.  We were sure Brother Francis was among them.

SHEPHERD: But he wasn’t?

WOLF: He might have been, and somehow got home safe.  The next time we heard about him, he was in Spain trying to cross over to Morocco.  But he got sick and came back to Assisi.  I didn’t hear about that until he had left again.  This time, apparently, he actually made it to the Holy Land.  At least, he got to the camp of the Crusaders at Acre. 

SHEPHERD: He must have loved that.  As you say, he always wanted to be a knight.

CURTAIN closes on the forest, and opens on the Muslim camp.

WOLF: The word is that he hated it.  He was so disappointed with the knights.  Even wearing the cross of Christ on their tunics, they behaved worse than thieves and thugs.  But Brother Francis got permission from the Pope’s representative to go and preach to the Muslim camp.  The Sultan was there, and had said that any man who brought back the head of a Christian would receive a gold coin as a reward.  So Brother Francis and the friar he had with him, his name was Brother Illuminato, walked for a few days past so-called Christian crusaders’ camps and Muslim camps to the place where the Sultan was said to be. 

SHEPHERD: Do you think he was afraid?

WOLF: I am sure he must have been.  Even when you want to be martyred, it must be terrifying to be faced with the fact that it could happen any minute.  And he was captured!  But, he was surely being guarded by angels, because the Muslims didn’t kill him.  Brother Francis was shouting “Sultan! Sultan!”  And probably that saved his life, because he was taken straight to the Sultan.

SHEPHERD: How did you hear about all this?

WOLF: I overheard some of Brother Illuminato’s friends talking about it after they got back.  Not many people actually sit down and talk to me personally, you understand, especially since they believe that the Wolf of Gubbio is dead.  But what I heard was that the Sultan and Saint Francis got along very well.  The Sultan didn’t convert to Christianity, unfortunately, but he respected Brother Francis’s courage.  The Sultan wasn’t really against Christians.  He is said to respect everyone who accepts that there is only one God.  And some of his own advisors are Christians. 

SHEPHERD: Then why were they fighting?  Why were they killing Christians?

WOLF: Well, to begin with, the crusaders were invaders.  The Muslims had lived there for four or five hundred years before the first crusade took Jerusalem away from them.  Then, gradually, the Muslims moved back in and there were other crusades.  All unsuccessful.  But most of all, I think it is as I said, the crusaders were not really Christians.  They were there for the money they got for fighting and for whatever they could steal.  The Sultan respected the real Christians, like Brother Francis.  In fact, the Sultan even gave him a gift, a silver and ivory horn to be blown when calling people to come to peace.  He put it with the crucifix at San Damiano.  I haven’t seen it, but it’s a wonderful gift.  I can imagine, though, how Brother Francis must have tried to refuse it.  He doesn’t like to own anything.  But there are times when you can’t say no because you will offend someone.

SHEPHERD: Well, I’m glad he was able to get to preach to the Muslims.

WOLF: Yes.  And even though the Sultan didn’t become a Christian, at least he became a friend.  And, aside from the gift of the horn, he also guaranteed safe passage for Brother Francis and Brother Illuminato to visit all the holy places, such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem.  That was very important, too.

CURTAIN closed

SHEPHERD: I would love to see those places.

WOLF: Brother Francis understood that.  Did you know that the custom of having a Nativity Crèche in church at Christmas was started by Saint Francis?

SHEPHERD: Really?

WOLF: It started as just a little Christmas surprise that Brother Francis wanted to give a friend.  Friars from all over came from their hermitages to celebrate the birth of Jesus together.  The re-enactment of the miracle was beautiful.  The little grotto in the village of Greccio is known as the Chapel of the Crèche.  The manger, surrounded by the animals, was lit up with candles and the friars sang joyful songs.  Brother Francis said it was Lady Poverty’s celebration, because she was there.  Our Lord was born in extreme poverty, and see how beautiful that is!

SHEPHERD: Why Sister Wolf!  I believe you are growing quite fond of Lady Poverty, Brother Francis’s bride.

WOLF: Yes. Well.  She does grow on you. 

End of Act IV scene 2