In this classic work, Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff examines the relevance of St. Francis to contemporary spirituality and to the construction of a new church. Eschewing sentimental images of the Poverello, Boff's Francis embodies "the preferential option for the poor." As a "model of gentleness and care," Francis exemplifies an "integral liberation" in which the spiritual and the social are never separate, but intimately bound together. In his new preface Boff observes: "Through his deep humanity Francis of Assisi has become an archetype of the human ideal. He belongs not only to Christianity but to all humankind.