A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter M. Miller, Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz treats religion very differently than does most science fiction. Miller's Brother Francis is charged with discovering the meaning of faith and God in the wake of total nuclear destruction. The particular religion extent in Miller's future is the venerable Catholic Church, an institution that has survived near-annihilation before. The novel begins with the discovery of a tomb by a novice, Francis, a tomb that may or may not contain the remains and relics of his order's founder, Leibowitz. Miller thereby introduces questions in the reader's mind