St. Francis of Assisi and World Environment Day

St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) wrote simply but eloquently about the relationships among God, nature, and humankind. For this reason, in 1979 Pope St. John Paul II named him “Patron Saint of Ecology”. In Europe, the term 'Ecology' not only embraces the academic discipline as taught in universities but also the social movement Americans would term 'Environmentalism'. For this reason, St. Francis makes a fitting icon for World Environment Day. World Environment Day Day is celebrated annually on June 5.