The Leader as Servant

In his book To Govern Is to Serve, Jacques Dalarun writes that medieval religious communities were a prototype of what can be considered ideal modern government—authority “that enfolds people more than it dominates them.” Clare is one of the model leaders he cites, and he devotes a chapter to a discussion of her washing the feet of her companions. Dalarun pays particular attention to an incident that probably occurred during the ritual of Holy Thursday, when Clare bent over to kiss the foot she was washing and was accidentally kicked in the mouth. Unfazed, she kissed the sole.