The New Pope: Pope Francis (birth name: Jorge Mario Bergoglio)

Hello Everyone.

So the blogs and news pundits are going crazy. And the cardinals including our very own Thomas Cardinal Collins played a role in electing him. He is Pope Francis I, given birth name Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The announcement here has been made:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum, Georgium
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem, Bergoglio
qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum.

(“I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope!
The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord,
Lord Jorge,
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Bergoglio,
who takes to himself the name Francis.”)

Personally speaking, I was initially disappointed. I wanted one of my home grown cardinals (Oulette or Collins) to ascend the throne, or Burke or Arinze for being knows as ardent supporters of traditional Catholicism/The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Would have been fun to see my diocesan archbishop Collins become Pope.

So, who are we exactly dealing with here? Here's a brief biography article from the Vatican's News outlet, news.va:
http://www.news.va/en/news/who-is-pope-francis

What has he got going against him of concern for us Catholics?
- He is of the Jesuit Order, which was once known for being the pope's "shock troops," now is known for being the butt of conservative Church jokes for being liberals and straying from the foundations and ideals of their order and founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola

- According to the more strict or "radical" traditional people who hang around places like Rorate Caeli, "Summorum Pontificum has been "nonexistent" in Buenos Aires, and he is sympathetic to the charismatic movement." This one did NOT come from me, see here: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2013/03/habemus-papam.html#disqus_thread

- The big point: I have been able to find NOTHING concrete as to how he will be with regards to the Latin Mass. He will likely not "kill" Summorum Pontificum, but I don't see him promoting the Latin Mass or helping it further .... at this point in time. And time we have to give him.

• UPDATE: 5:02 PM, just a minute or two after releasing this post: This is bad .... I just found this on my blog feed ... http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.ca/2013/03/rorate-comments-two.html. However, 1) this comment is anonymous. 2) it's from Rorate Caeli, where "rad-trads' like to comment and hang out. 3) Well he's now in the papacy/Rome. Like Muller, once you are in the hot seat/Curia, it can "make you tow the party line" so to speak. Treat this comment with a grain of salt, but it looks like we'll need to watch him closely ...

• UPDATE: 5:18 PM: Why, oh why, do I go where the mis-representation of Traditional Catholicism is at Rorate Caeli. I saw this .... http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-horror-buenos-aires-journalist.html. View it at your own risk and you'll think that this guy is the lead in to the Great Chastizement ... Now I am confused and scared .... 

What has he got going for him?
- As I was watching the CNN news coverage, they mentioned with regard to his status as a Jesuit, thanks to John Allen Jr. of the National Catholic Fishwrap (which is truly NOT supposed to use the name Catholic):

• They take a 4th vow besides poverty, which is obedience to the Pope. (curious question: So, em what do you do when you are the pope as a Jesuit?)
• CNN did note there's radical Jesuits (I know of this personally to an extent via Lonergan Theology, and CNN underestimated the extent this liberal radicalism has penetrated the order), but this pope resisted being part of that faction. 

- On the hard line issues of abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage in, at the time, in Buenos Aires, he was noted for being AGAINST these moral evils and gave "trouble" when the government accepted or supported those immoral evils.

- Financially speaking, he stood firm with insistence for the fundamental option for the poor, during an economic collapse in the 1980's.

- The media has been noting this a lot, even pre-election when he was a papabile: He doesn’t have a chauffeur and preferred to use the metro to get around Buenos Aires. In Rome he prefers to get around on foot or use public transport. See he's eco-friendly too! lol!

- He seems quite anti-Curia/getting chummy with the higher-ups: "He is unusual in that he has always rejected posts in the Roman Curia and only visited the Vatican when it was absolutely necessary. One thing he hates to see in the clergy is “spiritual wordliness”: ecclesiastical careerism disguised as clerical refinement."
Here: http://www.lastampa.it/2013/03/13/esteri/vatican-insider/en/jorge-mario-bergoglio-is-the-new-pope-of-the-catholic-church-EfJKZOSFmvgljMmSQRwYWN/pagina.html



So, well what can I say ... Overall, at least we won't see the boat rocked in favour of liberal whims and the secular media and world. However, we can't tell at this point whether he will simply keep the Papal seat warm, has a few curve balls ready to be thrown at us like Benedict, or other things .... Pray for our new Holy Father Francis I, and let us pray he will triumph.

Pax, Julian.

P.S. My mom talked to me about how St. Francis was asked to "rebuild My Church" in a vision from Jesus. St. Francis took it physically at first, but then realized Jesus meant symbolically/spiritually. Could this be a sign that things will further turn around in the Church with him at the helm???