I was very pleasantly surprised (shocked really) to learn the new Pope is a Jesuit. Like Fr. Barber, who preceded me here, I too am a Jesuit. The Jesuits are the largest order of religious men in the Catholic Church. The word “Jesuit” was originally used by the opponents of the Jesuits – our official name is “The Society of Jesus.” We were founded in the 1500s by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a Basque soldier who experienced a conversion to Christ after he was wounded in a battle. The mission of the Jesuits, then and now, is to go to anyplace in the world where the Church most needs service – Jesuits were in the vanguard of missionary work to both North and South America, Asia, and Africa. We were also instrumental in defending the Church against many who attacked it.
Now, Jesuits are associated mostly with our successful schools and colleges. Our schools were started originally to serve the poor. Our motto is As Majorum Dei Gloriam, which means in Latin, “For the Greater Glory of God.”
There has never been a Jesuit Pope before because we were so influential. Many feared making a Jesuit a Pope would give the Society of Jesus too much power in the Church. But clearly the Cardinals who selected Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio were impressed not with his power, but with his humility and holiness.
I never heard of him until this Wednesday when he was chosen to be the new Bishop of Rome. (All the Popes are first and foremost the Bishop of Rome, following in the direct footsteps of St. Peter, who was the first leader of the early Church in Rome.)
He chose the name “Francis” after St. Francis of Assisi – a very humble and holy man who helped restore the Church to its real calling as the announcer of the Gospel in a time when politics and corruption had crept into its governance.
Cardinal Bergoglio was known in his native Argentina as a strong defender of the poor and oppressed. He turned down the Cardinal’s elegant mansion and chauffeured car to live in a simple apartment, did his own cooking and took the bus to work each day. He lived what he preached.
This new Francis comes at a time when the Catholic Church needs new leadership who can get us back to the basics of Jesus’ teaching – to Love God and to love our neighbors.
I was particularly moved that the very first thing the new Pope did was to ask for the blessing of the Church – he bowed in humility as the servant of the Church – showing that he understands fully the role that Jesus intended for the leadership of the Church.
