We rejoice at the announcement of the papacy of Francis I, a Jesuit Pope!
The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenes Aires becomes our 266th pope and we join him in praying for unity and peace.
I’m excited about him being a Jesuit since I work for a Jesuit ministry, Loyola Press, and attended Jesuit schools for 12 years! Ignatian spirituality resonates with so many people and it’s wonderful to have a pope who understands the notion of finding God in all things!
I was struck by a variety of things:
- First, that the pope is led to the balcony by the Cross of Jesus Christ who is our true leader. Our processions are always led by the Cross, not by an individual!
- The Holy Father wore the simple white cassock.
- He chose the name Francis which invokes not only Francis of Assisi but also Francis Xavier, another great Jesuit. It will be interesting to see what the Holy Father says about why he chose that name and which saint he may have had in mind.
- He asked for our prayers before he prayed for us.
- He invited us all to pray the Our Father, Hail, Mary, and Glory Be, showing how Catholics can pray in a manner that joins all of our voices together as one!
What else? What struck you? What are your thoughts?
I loved the Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be. Sounded just like the start of catechism class :-).
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Since I knew nothing of him prior to his election, the two things that struck me were a)his gentleness and b)that the first thing the NBC commentators mentioned about him was the seriousness of his commitment to the poor. Loved that.
I too loved the humility he displayed asking us all to bless him. By the way, don’t forget Francis de Sales. It will be interesting to hear the Holy Father’s thoughts about the Francis decision.
His absolute humility.
It certainly was a teachable moment! We had it on in class as soon as we heard of the white smoke. My 8th graders were glued to the Active Board as we watched history unfold. Confirmation interviews were stopped so that students could return to class and watch the new pope.
I have been using Joe’s resources on how a pope is elected so we were eager to follow the process. Everyone in school received a prayer card for the election of a new pope which was said before every class.
Many of our boys will be attending a Jesuit school next year and were excited and proud that the pope was a Jesuit.
It is good to have someone with humility and willingness to serve the poor. May we all be like him.
I watched the introduction of Pope Francis on TV, at my Mom’s skilled nursing facility. Sadly, she has Alzheimer’s, so she didn’t understand what all the excitement was about. But I know I’ll never forget where I was, and that she was present with me, when Pope Francis was made known to the world. And I love how humble and prayerful he is…a commentator mentioned that the three prayers (the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father) are prayers that every little Catholic child knows. So true!! Now I can lift the Holy Father as a prayerful example for my CCE class to follow! My prayers for Pope Francis!!