Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"In 1209, Francis traveled to Rome to seek Pope Innocent III's approval for his new order. At first, Innocent was uncertain, but he gave the order his blessing in April 1210 after a dream in which he saw a poor man propping up a crumbling church. Innocent realized that the friars would be a powerful teaching instrument for the Church at time when heresy was perceived to be on the rise." [Furtado: 1001 Days]