Anthony’s ascent to sainthood was even more meteoric than Francis’. The citizens of Padua demanded that “their saint” be canonized, and on May 30, 1232, less than a year after his death, Gregory IX announced that this “Hammer of Heretics”–because of Anthony’s profound knowledge of Scripture–was now among the saints of the church.
In so doing, no doubt the pope intended to reward a staunch ally, but also to send a message to the Lesser Brothers. After all, did their Order really deserve a second saint so soon? Dominic had died in 1221, five years before Francis, and had not yet been canonized–that would not happen until 1234. But Gregory wished to point out to the Lesser Brothers at this critical moment of their history that in addition to their founder, they could aspire to another model of holiness. The Franciscans now had two saints, Francis and Anthony, who symbolized two strains that would exist, sometimes in tension, among them from that time forward.
—from Franciscan Media’s “Loving Brothers, Beloved Saints: Francis and Anthony“
by Dominic V. Monti, OFM
