In 1965, commemorating the birth of Dante, St. Pope Paul VI claimed that Dante is ‘ours,’ meaning he belongs to the Catholic Faith. The Pope also noted that although Dante had a firm faith, in the Comedy he “lashed out severely against more than one Roman Pontiff.”
In a similar way, Franciscans can claim that Dante is ‘ours.’ He loved St. Francis (the only person to whom he dedicated an entire Canto), but he also loved the Franciscan family and did not spare them from harsh reproach for having distanced themselves from the Poverello’s ideals.
Therefore, he is ‘ours’ not in an egoistic sense, but in challenging us to listen to his voice and making it resound again, echoing St. Pope John Paul II in that Dante’s: