Saint Francis of Assisi: an anti-pacifist ode

Saint Francis never proposed a pacifist Christianity. He was undoubtedly for peace, ma, da santo, it couldn't have been for pacifism. Being peaceful means believing that peace (first and foremost with God) is an important value; being a pacifist means believing that peace is the highest value; and this is wrong because peace (as the absence of war) must be subordinated to the value of justice.
After the conversion, the entire life of the Saint of Assisi was marked by the anxiety of saving sinners and as regards non-Christians he was not interested in "dialogue" but in conversion.
Regarding the meeting with Sultan Melek-el-Kamel there are two important testimonies: that of Tommaso da Celano (the most famous biographer of Saint Francis) and that of Enlightened Friar, eyewitness of the meeting between Saint Francis and the sultan.
Let's start with Tommaso da Celano. In the Life Before so he writes: “In the thirteenth year of his conversion, left for Syria, and while bitter battles raged between Christians and pagans, took a companion with him, he did not hesitate to appear before the Sultan (Melek-el-Kamel). Who could describe the confidence and courage with which she stood before him and spoke to him, and the determination and eloquence with which he responded to those who insulted the Christian law? Before reaching the Sultan, his assassins grabbed her, they insulted him, they lashed him, and he feared nothing: nor threats, born torture, no death; and although affected by the brutal hatred of many, here he is welcomed by the Sultan with great honor!”
The other testimony is that of the Illuminated Friar. Very important testimony, Why, as we have already said, he was present at the meeting between the Saint and the Sultan. He writes: “While Blessed Francis was at court, the sultan wanted to test the faith and devotion he showed he had towards our crucified Lord. One day he had a splendid carpet laid in the audience room, decorated entirely with a geometric cross-shaped motif, and then he said to those present: 'Now call that man who appears to be a genuine Christian; if to come to me he tramples with his feet these signs of the cross woven into the carpet, we will accuse him of doing injustice to his Lord; If instead he refuses to come I will ask him why he is committing this discourtesy of not coming to me.. Called, Blessed Francis, that he was full of God and from this fullness he was well instructed on what he had to do and what he had to say, he went straight to the Sultan. Those, believing that he had sufficient reason to rebuke the man of God because he had done injury to his Lord Jesus Christ, he told him: 'You Christians worship the cross, as a special sign from your God; why then were you not afraid to trample on these signs of the cross drawn on the carpet?’. Blessed Francis replied: 'You must know that two thieves were also crucified together with our Lord. We possess the true cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and we adore this and surround it with the deepest devotion. Ora, while this holy and true cross of the Lord was delivered to us, instead the crosses of the two thieves were left to you. That's why I wasn't afraid to walk on the signs of the thieves' cross. Among you there is nothing of the holy cross.’ The Sultan also raised another question: 'Your Lord teaches in the Gospels that you must not return evil for evil, and you must not even refuse the cloak to anyone who wants to remove the cassock. How much more should you Christians not invade our lands.’ Blessed Francis replied: 'It seems to me that you have not read the whole Gospel. Elsewhere, Indeed, it is said: if your eye causes you scandal, take it out and throw it away from you. And with this he wanted to teach us that even if a man were a friend or relative, or even if it were as dear to us as the pupil of the eye, we should be willing to separate it, push him away, to eradicate it from us, if he tries to distance us from the faith and love of our God. Precisely for this reason Christians act justly when they invade your lands and fight you, because you blaspheme the name of Christ and work to distance as many men as you can from his religion. If you wanted to know instead, confess and adore the Creator and Redeemer of the world, they would love you as themselves.’ The Sultan said: 'Let us gather our wise men here and discuss our faith and yours.' Blessed Francis replied: 'Our faith is superior to reason and reason is persuasive only for those who believe. I also couldn't take arguments from Scripture, because they do not believe the Scripture. Instead, make a fire with forest wood: I will enter the fire together with your wise men; those who will be burned, a sign that their faith is false.’ But the Sultan's wise men immediately retreated, so much so that the sultan began to smile as he said: 'I don't think I would find anyone willing to walk into the fire with you'.
Read these testimonies, one wonders why Saint Francis decided to go unarmed to the sultan. The answer is very simple but important to understand: because Saint Francis really wanted to convert the sultan and knew very well that no conversion imposed by force of arms was nor will ever be possible. This shows how even the Poverello of Assisi was perfectly aware of the fact that the crusades (as is attested by the most recent historiography) did not arise from the attempt to impose faith by force, but rather from the intention to restore the right to pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Source: http://itresentieri.it/cosa-realmente-disse-san-francesco-al-sultano-el-kamel-leggi-qua-e-lo-saprai/