I found this a very useful book answering the question, What did Francis request of Pope Innocent III in 1209? Pazzelli shows that Francis asked for permission to "preach penance". Francis had already aligned himself with the Penitents’ movement, and was asking for papal permission to recruit people to this way of life.

Pazzelli believes the Letter of Saint Francis to All Christians was initially written to his rapidly growing community of penitents rather than to every single Christian in the world. The First Draft in the sourcebook at the back of the Manuals of the Third Order, Society of St Francis is also reproduced as the preface to the Rule of the Secular Franciscans.

While Pazzelli acknowledges that the First Order grew out of this initial movement, along with the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, this book is clear that the First Order was not an initial aspiration of Saint Francis.

Pazzelli is a Third Order Regular priest, and so has a strong interest in representing the beginnings of the Third Order. Although he uses scholarly sources, the book is written for the general public. ( )

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