Clara survived him nearly twenty-seven years, and thus had time to see the shipwreck of the Franciscan ideal among the Brothers, as well as in almost every one of the houses which had at first followed the Rule of St.Damian.She herself was led by the pressure of events to lay down rules for her own convent, but to her very death-bed she contended for the defence of the true Franciscan ideas, with a heroism, a boldness, at once intense and holy, by which she took a place in the first rank of witnesses for conscience.
Is it not one of the loveliest pictures in religious history, that of this woman who for more than half a century sustains moment by moment a struggle with all the popes who succeed one another in the pontifical throne, remaining always equally respectful and immovable, not consenting to die until she has gained her victory ?[20] To relate her life is to relate this struggle; the greater number of its vicissitudes may be found in the documents of the Roman _curia_.
Francis had warded off many a danger from his institution, but he had given himself guardians who were little disposed to yield any of their rights; Cardinal Ugolini in particular, the future Gregory IX., took a part in these matters which is very difficult to understand.

We see him continually lavishing upon Francis and Clara expressions of affection and admiration which appear to be absolutely sincere; and yet the Franciscan ideal--regarded as the life of love at which one arrives by freeing himself from all servitude to material things--has hardly had a worse adversary than he.
In the month of May, 1228, Gregory IX.

went to Assisi for the preliminaries of the canonization of St.Francis.Before entering the city he turned out of his way to visit St.Damian and to see Clara, whom he had known for a long time, and to whom he had addressed letters burning with admiration and paternal affection.[21] How can we understand that at this time, the eve of the canonization (July 16, 1228), the pontiff could have had the idea of urging her to be faithless to her vows?
He represented to her that the state of the times made life impossible to women who possess nothing, and offered her certain properties.

As Clara gazed at him in astonishment at this strange proposition, he said, "If it is your vows which prevent you, we will release you from them." "Holy Father," replied the Franciscan sister, "absolve me from my sins, but I have no desire for a dispensation from following Christ."[22] Noble and pious utterance, artless cry of independence, in which the conscience proudly proclaims its autonomy! In these words is mirrored at full length the spiritual daughter of the Poverello.
By one of those intuitions which often come to very enthusiastic and very pure women, she had penetrated to the inmost depths of Francis's heart, and felt herself inflamed with the same passion which burned in him.

She remained faithful to him to the end, but we perceive that it was not without difficulty.
This is not the place in which to ask whether Gregory IX.