The seventh and final aspect of Catholic Social Teaching, Care for God’s Creation, can be defined as showing respect for God the Creator through stewardship of all his creations. This value of Catholicism is exemplified in the figurines and decorative tiles shown below because of their allusion to the stories of St. Francis’ Sermon to the Birds and his taming of the wild wolf. Many of the figurines sold in Assisi show St. Francis holding birds or with them perched on his arms or sitting at his feet. The tiles also show St. Francis with birds, but in these it looks as if he is speaking directly to them. The inclusion of the birds, specifically the white ones, are significant because they allude to the story of St. Francis’ Sermon to the Birds. The white birds or doves shown alongside Francis in the figurines could also be interpreted as the presence of Holy Spirit within him, this reminding the object’s admirer of Francis’ holy and blessed status. Additionally, in some of the figurines on the left, Francis is shown with a wolf at his feet. This comes from another story about Francis in which the saint tames a wild wolf in order to save the town of Gubbio. This story also emphasizes Francis’ love and appreciation for all of God’s creatures and creations. He is after all, the patron saint of animals, so it makes sense that he would be shown alongside them. The inclusion of animals in these souvenirs and in Franciscan iconography remind the viewer of St. Francis’ love of animals and nature in order to emphasize the Catholic church’s teachings on Care for God’s creation.
