Pacificus was a disciple of St. Francis of Assisi, born probably near Ascoli,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in the second half of the twelfth century; died, it is thought, at

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, around 1234.

Poet Laureate

Local authors identify him with a certain William of Lisciano, who joined the court of

Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI (German language, German: ''Heinrich VI.''; November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was ...

.Macdonell, Anne. "A King of Verses" ''Sons of Francis'', J. M. Dent, 1902, p. 123 et seq.
/ref> Before becoming

Friar Minor The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...

(

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

) he had been poet laureate at the Court of

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI, Holy Roman ...

.Oliger, Livarius. "Pacificus." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 29 January 2019 Around 1212 St. Francis preached at San Severino, in the

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

s; the poet had a

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

of two resplendent swords crossed on the saint's breast. He was deeply impressed by this vision. In a preface to a book by Cardinal Cantalamessa about St. Francis,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

wrote, "When Brother Pacificus, then known as William of Lisciano, met St. Francis, he saw the splendor of his holiness and through him saw the beauty of God's face. That which he always sought, he finally found and found thanks to a holy man."Wooden, Cindy. "The Lord is always waiting for you, pope writes to young people", Catholic News Service, April 7, 2021
/ref> William asked to be received into the new order. St. Francis gladly complied, giving him the name of "Pacificus".

Introduced Friars Minor into France

Francis summoned Brother Pacificus and sent him, with other friars, throughout the world, preaching the praises of God. In 1217 he was sent to

, where he is said to have become the founder, and first provincial, of the Friars Minor. In the ''Speculum perfectionis'', attributed to

Brother Leo Brother Leo (died 15 November 1271) was the favorite disciple, secretary and confessor of Francis of Assisi. The dates of his birth and of his becoming a Franciscan are not known; a native of Assisi, he was one of the small group of most trusted ...

, Pacificus is said to have experienced a vision at San Pietro in Bovara of Francis in heaven. In the Spring of 1226 Pacificus witnessed the holy "

Stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

of St. Francis". The last certain date in the life of Brother Pacificus is that of the

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

, 12 August 1227, in which

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...

recommends the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

to Pacificus' care. Cf "Magna sicut dicitur", 1227 (Bullarium Franciscanum volume I, 33–34)

Return to France

Pacificus was sent back to France, where he later died. It has long been mooted that Pacificus' poetic abilities were put to use turning Saint Francis' songs into verse, however there is no evidence to support this.

References

{{Catholic, wstitle=Pacificus Italian Franciscans 1230s births