Is there a more winsome and beguiling figure in the entire history of the Catholic Church than Francis of Assisi? Even for non-believers, Francis seems to sum up what is best in the Christian tradition, and it would be difficult to find anyone—even the most ardent of atheists—who would stand against him. Il Poverello, the little poor man—simple, humble, close to nature, deeply in love with God—continues to sing across the ages to our own cynical time.