New pope is 1st Francis, saint of peace, poverty

[undeterred]

By FRANCES D'EMILIO

The Associated Press VATICAN CITY —

In choosing a name no other pope had ever taken, Pope Francis could be signaling that he sees the need for change in the Roman Catholic church. The name recalls two of the church's most famous saints.

One is Francis of Assisi, the man from the Umbrian hill town who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to found the Franciscan order of friars in 1209, embracing a life of poverty and simplicity and going out in the countryside to preach a message of joy and peace. The other is Francis Xavier, a globe-trotting Spaniard who became one of Christianity's greatest missionaries, and was a founding figure of the Jesuit order, of which the new pope is a member.

http://www.ajc.com/ap/ap/religion/new-pope-is-1st-francis-saint-of-peace-poverty/nWq7j/

Its not easy to find a figure in the history of Christianity who loves animals and nature as much as St. Francis and who also cared so much for the poor. This is the first pope to take the name of Francis and the first Jesuit. These are not insignificant things.


Edited to add:

What's in a name?

Bergoglio's selection of the name of Pope Francis is "the most stunning" choice and "precedent shattering," Allen said. "The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual."

The name symbolizes "poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church," Allen said.

St. Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 or 1182 the son of a rich Italian cloth merchant, according to the Vatican website.

After "a carefree adolescence and youth," Francis joined the military and was taken prisoner. He was freed after becoming ill, and when he returned to Assisi, Italy, a spiritual conversion began, and he abandoned his worldly lifestyle.

In a famous episode, Christ on the Cross came to life three times in the small Church of St. Damian and told him: "Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins," Pope Benedict XVI said, according to Vatican's website.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/world/europe/vatican-pope-selection/index.html

[Brickbat]

1. I'm guessing it's more for FX spreading the word, and not for fluffy birdies.

[msanthrope]

4. You would be correct. FX was the Jesuits primary missionary in Asia. nt

[Brickbat]

6. Learning the saints was good for something...

[msanthrope]

7. I was educated by Jesuits, starting in 8th grade. This is a wartime Pope.

He's not liberal, and he won't be conciliatory.

[Brickbat]

10. Agreed.

Anyone who thinks otherwise isn't paying attention.

[msanthrope]

17. Or they'd like to believe that this Pope likes deer and sparrows.....

He's Ratzi's pick. He is an Italiante Pope...a true insider who will be more repressive than ever.

[Laelth]

57. Perhaps.

But a Jesuit has never been chosen before, and Jesuits from Latin America were widely attacked for advancing liberation theology. You may be right, but I hope you are not. This selection may signal a desire to change in dramatic ways. Only time will tell.

-Laelth

[mrs_p]

60. unfortunately

this pope knew which way the wind was blowing and has been anti-liberation theology for many years.

[Laelth]

61. True.

My hope is that he was born into liberation theology and practiced it in his youth, but had to bury those liberal instincts in order to survive (The Dirty War) and to advance in the hierarchy.

The RCC knows it is in trouble. The Cardinals aren't stupid--not all of them, in any event. My suspicion is that reform was delayed for many years due to John Paul II's long and lingering influence, as displayed by Benedict, but that, finally, the reform-minded have prevailed. There are just so many odd things about this selection--Benedict's resignation, a non-European Pope, the first Jesuit Pope, the first Pope named Francis. It's hard not to see these odd events signal a desire to change.

I remain hopeful.

-Laelth

[mrs_p]

64. I would love some of your optimism

Please pass my way.

Peace

[undeterred]

8. Hopefully for environmental consciousness.

Little known fact - the Franciscans often take care of the remains of animals disposed of by veterinary clinics and animal impoundment facilities. Sometimes you hear about their annual services to bless pets. Well they also take care of getting rid of the remains of unwanted animals - the ones who never get adopted and end up being destroyed by the thousands in the shelters. That's always given me a warm spot for the Franciscans.

[MattBaggins]

28. The Pope is not Franciscan

Jesuit

[msanthrope]

2. He named himself for Francis Xavier, not Assisi. Any Catholic who doesn't get the

inside joke of that should have paid better attention in catechism class.

[undeterred]

9. How do you know which Francis he named himself for?

[msanthrope]

13. Ahem--he named himself for the co-founder of his order, the first missionary

to Asia. You think a Jesuit named himself after a Franciscan? HA! Not likely, according to the Italian press.

[Ikonoklast]

23. And where is the RCC in massive expansion mode right now?

Asia and Africa.

Many here just don't understand the symbolism, or the military organizational chart that is the SOJ.

[msanthrope]

24. Like I said in other posts....some will think this guy likes deer and sparrow, and others

realize he is bringing the Inquisition.

[Ikonoklast]

27. I agree, this guy is a step backward to even more repudiation of Vatican II.

This guy is a huge step to the Right.


And for those here that don't think that the Jesuits have their own agenda, there is only one Catholic order whose members must take a special oath of obedience and allegiance to the pope.

Care to guess which one?

[freshwest]

53. Don't the Jesuits run some universities in the USA, too? IDK about that other stuff.

Not Catholic, just curious.

My only image of Jesuits is the television mini series, Shogun by James Clavell (who was a big Ayn Rand fan and was a Japanese POW, according to Wikipedia).

The Jesuits were the bad guys, the hero was an Englishman who rejected the Pope. It was not a flattering portrait of Japanese feudal society. I'd say I know less than nothing about Jesuits.

Please tell me why this is so important - you seem to be well-versed. Catholicism is somewhat of a mystery to me, I'm not sure why it still exists, after centuries of truly bad press. There must be good reasons for people to remain Catholics.

Not only that, persons like Tony Blair, Clarence Thomas and others have joined the Church. One might think that a person would be a Catholic as a matter of going with their family's faith - or were brought into it as children. But these are adults who have chosen to be converted.

[Ikonoklast]

63. Oh yes, Jesuits run some of the finest institutions of higher learning not only in this country.

but around the world; Jesuits value logic, philosophy, and science.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jesuit_institutions

They were the first Catholic order to set intellectual requirements for entry into the order in a time when other religious societies were taking members based on how strong their commitment to the faith was, and parish priests for the most part weren't very highly educated.

They have a certain ascetic appeal to those that would take a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience and dedicate their lives to a never-ending pursuit of knowledge.

There was a good reason why Heinrich Himmler (who studied to be a Jesuit himself) patterned the hierarchy of the SS after that of the Society of Jesus.

The SOJ has been first and foremost defenders of the orthodoxy of the faith, even to the extent of disagreeing with some of the popes over the direction taken by the Church when doctrine put forth was seen by them to be in error.

The Jesuits wield political power outsize to their numbers, they have influential allies in the power structure of many countries, as there are many alumni of their schools in high places of business and government.

They tend to fall on the Right side of almost every issue, siding with Power and Order over everything else...after all, remaining friends with the PTB ensures your continued existence and operation in that country.

One of the first things most Leftist revolutions do is throw the Jesuits out of their country, for good reason...there is reason that the word 'propaganda' was originally coined by the RCC.

They are one of the premier intelligence-gathering organizations on this planet.

[GiveMeFreedom]

66. I could add to this

but I better run to confession first and tell a priest. Yes, the best intel in the world.

[Lithos]

52. Agreed

Even the Guardian recognizes he wants to reform the Curia. He's there to sweep away opposition and restore order (for a bunch of 70+ year old men) than bring in any real change in the face of modernity.

L-

[gateley]

54. When I first heard "Francisco" I thought it was Sean O'Malley, but

when I heard it was a Jesuit, then I thought Oh, THAT Francis! He could have taken both names -- Francis Xavier, like Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. He should have -- EVERYBODY knows who the animal-loving St. Francis is, but not everybody knows about Francis Xavier.

[pnwmom]

11. So, you have the inside track on his real intention? He chose to live in an apartment

instead of the Bishop's official residence, he cooked his own meals, took the bus, and worked with the poor.

I think there's every reason to think he chose the name after Francis of Assisi.

[msanthrope]

15. Believe what you want. If you think a Jesuit named himself after a Franciscan, rather

than the co-founder of his order, you go right ahead.

[pnwmom]

18. If he wanted to name himself after Francis Xavier, he would have done so.

There's ample precedent for two names.

[msanthrope]

20. Francis Assisi I could have been done, too. And that's the jesuitical poke, pnwmom....

The faithful will think this Pope likes deer and sparrow, while he brings the Inquisition.

Deceit is permissible, if ad majorem Dei gloriam.

[pnwmom]

26. No, it could not. Assisi is a place name, not a Saint's name.

His name was Francis OF Assisi, not Francis Assisi.

And the name choice of Francis, after Francis of Assisi, fits with the simple lifestyle this man had been living for decades.

The question is whether he will change the Vatican or whether it will change him.

[msanthrope]

29. He's the Pope. He can name himself what ever he wants. Francisci Assisiensis has

a nice ring to it.

Believe what you want. I think it is a magnificent joke.

[pnwmom]

31. Yeah, you keep thinking that. n/t

[msanthrope]

35. He's the Pope! You think he can't name himself whatever he wants? Who is going

to gainsay it?

[pnwmom]

37. The pope of all people isn't going to defy tradition and give himself a place name.

But your whole premise is crap. The founder of the Jesuit order was St. Ignatius of Loyola, not the missionary named Francis Xavier.

If he wanted to call himself Pope Ignatius, he was free to do so.

[msanthrope]

38. Dude...SOJ had 7 founders, just like the hills of Rome. You can still see the

place in Monmartre where the 7, (Loyola, Faber, Xavier, Bobadilla, Rodrigues, Laínez, Salmerón) gathered on the Assumption and pledged.

I'm betting you were never educated by Jesuits. I was.

[pnwmom]

39. Francis Xavier was Ignatius's student and one of his first followers.

Ignatius was the founder, who convinced the other six to establish the Society of Jesus.

[msanthrope]

43. Nonsense. The Jesuit Order was founded on August 15, 1534 with the vow at Monmartre.

That's why the Madonna Della Strada is the patroness of the SOJ.

[pnwmom]

49. Oh, right. That happened in an instant with no preparation whatsoever.

Sorry, but you're wrong. Ignatius planned for years before the others got involved, and they were his followers.

[msanthrope]

50. Yes...it did, according to those who believed that the blessing of the Virgin Mary

came upon them at moment. It happened in the instant that they were filled with their god's love and purpose.

What a doubting Thomas you are.

[pnwmom]

56. The Pope's official spokesman says he took the name after St. Francis of Assisi.

So do you think he's lying?

[msanthrope]

58. I think he is being jesuitical. nt

[undeterred]

16. Yes indeed

What's in a name?

Bergoglio's selection of the name of Pope Francis is "the most stunning" choice and "precedent shattering," Allen said. "The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual."

The name symbolizes "poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church," Allen said.

St. Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 or 1182 the son of a rich Italian cloth merchant, according to the Vatican website.

After "a carefree adolescence and youth," Francis joined the military and was taken prisoner. He was freed after becoming ill, and when he returned to Assisi, Italy, a spiritual conversion began, and he abandoned his worldly lifestyle.

In a famous episode, Christ on the Cross came to life three times in the small Church of St. Damian and told him: "Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins," Pope Benedict XVI said, according to Vatican's website.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/world/europe/vatican-pope-selection/index.html

[msanthrope]

19. Think what you want. But if you think that the new pope named himself after the

tree-hugger, and not the co-founder of the order, then I think you have not been educated by Jesuits.

[undeterred]

21. Thats true... I am not even Catholic.

What does that have to do with anything?

I think you are not paying attention to the news story and simply projecting things onto it.

[msanthrope]

22. I am paying attention to the news story. And I was Catholic. Jesuit-educated, Latin and

Greek fluent.

And that's why I and many others find the press out of the Vatican laughable.

[undeterred]

41. You have to consider the choices, my friend.

There can hardly be any pope worse than the one who just stepped down.

Nobody rises to the level of cardinal by bucking the system.

This man may be nothing like the real St Francis but he doesn't sound like he's been living the good life getting ready to enjoy the splendor of the Vatican. Relative to others that could have been chosen, he may be a good man.

[Delphinus]

48. I certainly appreciate

your views on this.

[Recursion]

68. That's the opposite of the official reportage

You may be right, of course, but the story being put out is Assisi.

[arely staircase]

3. i understand much of the critcism here but

god's blessings and peace to the bishop of rome.

[hobbit709]

5. Most likely Francis Xavier who tried to bring the Inquisition to India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Xavier

[pnwmom]

12. Most likely not. If you read about him, you would have seen

that he has chosen to live a very simple lifestyle quite unlike most Cardinals or even Bishops.

[hobbit709]

14. And his involvement in the "Dirty War"?

That was definitely more Xavier than Assisi

[RainDog]

32. It's stunning to me that people on DU aren't aware of his collusion

He was aligned with the fascists in Argentina during the Dirty War - AGAINST the Liberation Theology Catholicism in Latin American nations.

but... whatever.

people choose to believe what makes it easier to avoid confrontations with unpleasant truths.

[undeterred]

33. How many people on DU knew who he was before today?

Seriously?

[RainDog]

34. Maybe before they start inventing stories about him

They should go read and find out about his past.

[KamaAina]

65. Noooooo!! My middle name is Francis

and it was for Francis Xavier. In fact, Mom and Dad wanted to name me Francis X. KamaAina, but Protestant Grandma and Grandpa exercised the veto, so they settled for Kama F. Aina.

How could she have done this to me?!

[bhikkhu]

25. Peace and poverty are ok, but how about women's rights and equality?

The church has been stubbornly stuck in the middle ages. If its another new pope singing the same old tune, then no interest here.

[undeterred]

42. Unless there's a revolution in the theology of Mary or of women its never going to happen.

The Catholic Church thinks in centuries; humankind may not have that many centuries left.

[rhett o rick]

30. I knew it would be an Italian. The Italian government made a deal with the outlaw, I mean outgoing

Pope the protect him from prosecution if the new Pope was an Italian. Plea bargain.

[kwassa]

36. The new Pope is from Argentina, not Italy.

[rhett o rick]

55. Does sounds like Italian count? What the hell. I am now zero of 1,000 for predictions anywayz. nm

[pipi_k]

40. OK so whatever he

calls himself, and whichever Francis he decides to model himself after, the fact remains that the Catholic church is losing membership...and priests...at a number that appears to be significant.

It seems that attitudes among Catholics are slowly changing, while the Catholic church itself is not.

If the church doesn't want to find itself sliding down a shit hole into total ruin, it's going to have to make some meaningful changes.

Will the new Pope put aside his own personal biases in favor of change?

Who knows...

But I'm not going to sit here and judge until I see what actually happens.

Not that I care, really, because I'm an Agnostic/Atheist. Just out of curiosity...

[undeterred]

44. I heard that the Catholic Church was growing in Latin America

so maybe that has something to do with why this man was chosen.

[Ikonoklast]

67. Exact opposite, the RCC is waning in Central and especially South America.

Losing members to evangelical sects that have a better road show, big time losses.

[Hekate]

45. When I first heard the name he chose I immediately thought of Francis of Assisi

Then I thought maybe Francis Xavier, founder of his own order.

I'm really hoping he meant St Francis of Assissi, because that gives me the most hope. "Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins," indeed!

[undeterred]

46. Me too.

St. Francis of Assissi is one of the best figures in Church history- he was so humble and cared about all the right things. And then there were the "poor clares". The movies about I've seen about him are so hokey, but he really does seem like a "saint" if ever there was one. A teacher of mine said he tends to evoke images of one of the seven dwarves...

[Apophis]

47. So...is he not going to wear the expensive clothes and jewelry then?

[El Supremo]

51. Both Jesuits and Franciscans take a vow of poverty.

But the Franciscans are more serious about it. I say Francis Xavier,

[cherish44]

59. I'm an ex-Catholic but I love the serentity prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

"make me a channel of your peace..."
It talks of a loving God and making the world a better place.