Pope Francis I. (Photo: AOL)
THE NEW POPE: A PARADOXICAL PASTOR
The selection of a Latin American Pope has created more questions than answers. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the runner up in the last conclave that elected Benedict VIth. Did the impression he made 8 years ago stick with the College of Cardinals this time? And was there a concern that at the age of 76 could he be too old? (Remember Benedict was 78 when elected in 2005). Will the new Pope’s background as a Chemistry Teacher strengthen the Church’s resolve on matters of science? Or will it give him the secular experience to bridge the gap in terms of the issues facing the Church like stem cell research.
The new Pope has shown great compassion for the poor. And he said in his opening homily that he wished to evangelize Rome. Will we see a sharing of the Vatican Treasury to developing countries? Will he have the administrative prowess to fix the financial problems in the Vatican? The best guess is going to come when we see who he appoints as his Secretary of State, the ultimate insider who will try to manage the Curia.
His initial appearance was calming, reassuring and gave us a view into the humanity of the man. While Benedict portrayed a worldly, almost aristocratic view, this new Pope seems to be the exact opposite. At first blush, this Pope will hold the conservative doctrines of the previous two Popes. While John Paul II had a progressive appearance, in reality he dug in to any changes in church doctrine regarding Birth Control, Ordination of women and Sexual orientation. It will be interesting to see if this Pope will move on any social changes that will be more in keeping with the west.
This Pope represents a number of firsts, the first Jesuit, the first Cardinal from the West who will be representing the majority of Catholics (Latin America has over 501 million Catholics) as well as the first runner up in a previous conclave to be chosen.
The Papacy is a transformational office. We’ve seen what a Cardinal Bergoglio stood for and believed. It will be interesting and instructive to see how Pope Francis I will lead and whether like John XXIIIrd, there might be some divine flexibility living within the confines of his soul.