The Man Who Turned the World Upside Down (BBC)

In March, Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio was made Pope, taking the name of Francis. Immediately the new Pope brought a taste of the beloved St Francis to the Vatican. As he prepares to make his first visit as Pope to the town of Assisi where St Francis lived and died, Heart and Soul finds out about Francis' enduring appeal.

To appreciate the legacy of St Francis in the Umbrian town he took the name of you may need a look high above you – it is painted into the walls and ceilings of the town's many churches. But the spiritual legacy of St Francis was boosted internationally when high above St Peters Square Jorge Mario Bergoglio was named the first Pope Francis and credited the 13th-century saint as his inspiration.

John Laurenson hears how the wealthy 'Papa Francesco', the son of an affluent trader, gave up his wealth, stood naked before God and pledged his life to Him, before rebuilding St Francis' church and travelling with the word of God in a bid to 're-evangelise' Christians.

In the months since he first stood on the balcony overlooking St Peters Square, greeting the crowd with a simple ‘Good evening’, Pope Francis' papacy has been a lighter, humbler, almost unscripted one. Much has been made of him forgoing the trappings of his role as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. John Laurenson talks to the devotees of St Francis about what it means to them that the new Pope has taken their much-loved saint's name and asks if he has also adopted some of his characteristics.

Link: The Man Who Turned the World Upside Down - BBC World Service