by Sam Juliano
While the deck was basically stacked for the prospects of yet another unyielding conservative papal selection, it must at least be said that today’s shock announcement from the Vatican has at least some people excited about their faith. The completely off-the-radar selection of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio did more to raise eyebrows, not the least reason of course being that the 76 year-old is the first pope chosen from outside Italy in 1,300 years. Few will even remember that Bergolio was the main opposition to Benedict in 2005, purportedly drawing 40 votes at one point in the four-ballot election of the German cardinal. But insiders have revealed that Bergoglio begged his fellow cardinals not to choose him, hence eight years later at an advanced age few saw this incredible surprise looming. After choosing the 78 year-old Ratzinger, and then watching his resign, there weren’t many willing to predict the follow-up choice of a 76 year-old.
Bergoglio is said to have lived his life simply, attending to the poor, cooking his own meals and moving up the religious ladder as a Jesuit. The new pope is widely considered one of the most moderate choices in the college, even if his views on abortion, homosexuality and the ordination of women remain totally unacceptable. Yet there seems to be a slim ray of light, when one considers he is basically a humble man, who it can be said has had only limited connection to the Vatican and the much-maligned Roman curia.
Choosing the name ‘Francis I’ is in a pastoral sense an inspiration for Christians, and will have some at least temporarily looking away from the inevitable corruption and hypocrisy that runs rampant in the Roman church. The decision to pick Bergoglio when every previous analysis by Vatican watchers never even mentioned his name (only the renowned Vatican watcher and reporter John Allen had mentioned him as a serious contender, though on the fringes considering his age) will no doubt upend all assumptions and ramifications about this process, and will breathe some pastoral life into a church rife with every kind of scandal imaginable.
The real winners today though, are the bookies in the U.K. and in Ireland who pretty much cleaned the board. Surely very few put their money on Bergolio.
Called it since day one.
Jaimie, there must be some excitement in Chile, what with the selection of a neighbor.
The new Pope is very orthodox but at least champions social justice. His alleged failure to confront the abuses of the Argentine dictators is sobering. At 76 and not in the best of health – he has only one functioning lung – he is perhaps a stop-gap masking real divisions about the future direction of the Church. His austerity and humbleness will hopefully foster discussion of spiritual vs materialist values. Interestingly, while two-thirds of Argenines are RC less than 10pct regularly attend Mass. There is apparently a lingering resentment against the Church there for its reactionary role during the dark 70s and 80s. He is a Jesuit and the implications of this is something I will need to gather from the pundits. Hopefully, there will be less pomp and more straight talk…
Aye Tony!! I have just now read about much of what you have reported here, and you make some wise observations about his past, his health and his straight-talking.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/13/francis-is-first-pope-from-americas-austere-jesuit-who-modernized-argentine/
On balance he’s a refreshing, bold choice, but definitely a “stop-gap.” If he lives as long as Ratzinger is now, then it would have a decent run all things considered. I love the humble lifestyle and the name he has chosen. I also like the idea that he’s a Jesuit, in much the same way I appreciated that O’Malley is a Franciscan.
Yes Sam. The choice of the name ‘Francis’ is hugely symbolic. The BBC reporting live from St. Peter’s Square says it is a starry starry night after days of clouds and rain…
Aye Tony, that sounds just about right.
and here’s more………….
Pope Francis I is both a continuation of the past and something very different. Theologically he is an orthodox conservative like his predecessor Benedict XVI. No-one will be expecting him to take the Catholic Church into a brave new world where homosexuality is suddenly accepted and women are ordained.
But he is a radical choice in so many other ways. Most will concentrate on the firsts – the first Latin American pope, the first Jesuit and the first Francis. But his real radicalism lies elsewhere. Above all he is no Vatican insider, unlike so many of the supposed frontrunners, and is serious about a major overhaul of the bureaucrats in Rome. He also lives a deeply ascetic life, cooking his own meals and taking the bus to work. Compared to those who spend their time surrounded by the obscene wealth concentrated in Rome, Cardinal Bergoglio will be able to genuinely sympathise and empathise with the world’s poor like no other recent Pope.
and a fascinating look at the man here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/pope-francis-i-the-humble-man-who-moved-out-of-archiepiscopal-palace-into-a-simple-apartment-8533450.html
It is the final paragraph of the Independent’s piece that really seems to say it all:
Yet in Pope Francis I they have made an inspired and original choice. Administration and governance are not his strongest suits, so he will need to chose shrewdly the men with whom he must surround himself to break the arrogant self-serving system of entrenched hierarchical clerical privilege which has bedevilled the Vatican for so long. But he will have no truck with those who seek to cover up child sex abuse in a misguided attempt to protect the reputation of a church on which it has merely brought scandal and a crisis of moral authority. Jorge Mario Bergoglio is a man of prayer, of deep spirituality, personal humility, pastoral warmth and attractive simplicity. He is not a man afraid of radical choices. It is hard to think that the cardinals could have chosen better.
and the choice of Francis brings up this! hahaha!
The choice pleases nearly everyone, I suppose. He’s from the southern hemisphere but is of Italian descent and probably won’t be around very long.
Yep Samuel, it seems everyone is really excited. Even though he purportedly received the second most votes to Ratzinger in the 2005 conclave (they say 40 for one ballot) he was seen now as too old at 76, especially after the pontificate of someone who resigned, after being elected at age 78. But as Tony notes, and as I just read in the above link, there are certainly some serious questions. Still he seems a real champion of social reform. We will see.
Like JAIME, I had this guy pegged to take the seat as well. I had read up on the hopefuls, saw that he came within a hair of taking the seat back in 2005…
Interesting choice…
But, I beg to question… Wouldn’t it be best to seat someone younger, someone that can maintain the seat for a longer spell? It always seems the Vatican is up in arms every time they have to replace a Pope…
Does anyone know who the youngest contender/hopeful was??? The youngest person in the Vatican??????
The youngest candidate among the cardinals was Antonio Luis Tagle of the Phillipines, who was seriously considered.
The ascent of Francis may be the best proof that Benedict’s resignation was a surprise to most church leaders, since they appear to have chosen a caretaker and deferred choosing a long-term leader to another time. Still, Benedict himself and John XXIII prove that an old guy can make a difference in a short time.
Samuel, Benedict himself was a caretaker, elected as he was at age 78. Francis is actually two years younger, but I am thinking that cardinals seem to be reluctant to grants decades-long papacies after John Paul went for 27 years, the second longest of all time. Ironically, Benedict’s brother is now 89, so if he had not resigned it is conceivable he would have made 4 or 5 more years, making what appeared to be a caretaker papacy into a legitimately lengthy one. Francis does indeed have one lung (removed when he was a teenager due to infection) but several doctors are saying that having one that is healthy does not necessarily impact on longevity.
In any case Nno Moretti’s film here is so timely! Ha!
Habemus Papam
Bergoglio was an inspired and shrewd choice for the Catholic church. He will rally many back to the faith. But what a complete surprise.
Agreed on both points Peter! And yes a surprise that was well-kept under wraps!
I read today that Bergolio came in third place right behind Scola and Ouellet after the first ballot, and that the Americans then decided to defect to the Argentine when they saw how strong he was. The newspaper claims that Scola would not have had enough votes beyond what were committed to him, and that this was an insufficient amount.
Frank, I have been reading all the behind-the-scenes dirt over the last two days as well. The scandelous but not always wrong “Daily Beast” brings out all the back-stabbing in style:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/14/conspiracy-theories-behind-pope-francis-s-election.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet
Sam – I’m impressed by his humlity, but conce
nred about his ultra-conservative views. Time will tell….
Pat—
His ultra-conservative views are more than a major turn-off, and it will be nearly impossible to get beyond that, but in a pastoral sense his humility and genuine concern for the poor (his choice of name sends a powerful message) will make his papacy interesting even for non-believers.