Pope Francis made a pilgrimage today to the Italian hillside town of Assisi and the tomb of his namesake, St Francis.

The 13th-century friar renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and minister to the most destitute.

St Francis was famously told by God to "repair my house".

In word and deed, the first pope to name himself after St Francis has made clear how he wants to follow that command, with a church that is welcoming to all, but especially the most marginalised, and a church hierarchy that is worthy of its 1.2 billion flock.

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