With four+ years of Jesuit education, I was quite surprised that the College of Cardinals would elect a member of the Society of Jesus as Pope. I was even more surprised that he picked the name "Francis," since the last Franciscan Pope suppressed the Jesuit Order. Then again, he didn't ask for my advice.
Although I don't expect any dramatic changes in Church teaching, we've already seen dramatic changes in the Papacy. Here's a Pope that rides on the bus, pays his own bills and decides to live in a two room suite instead of the 22 room Papal apartment. He told people from Argentina not to come to his installation, but to give the money to the poor instead. He washes the feet of the most disaffected of society, juvenile detention inmates (including Muslims and women) at the jail, instead of priests in St. John Lateran. He's wearing plain white robes and using the same vestments he had in Argentina. He charges right into the crowds. I'm no liturgical expert, but I understand that Pope Francis simplified some the formal ceremonies at St. Peter's for Easter as well.
He wants a Poor Church to serve Poor People. Pope Francis seems like a well-needed breath of fresh air. So far, so good.
What can we hope for from our new Holy Father? Is this a change of style or substance? I'm hoping for a few things:
1. an acknowledgement of the sins of the past, a recognition of the need for hard choices, consequences for those bishops and staff that covered up child abuse and recompense for victims;
2. reform of the Roman Curia to allow for more openness and collegial decision-making;
3. a re-examination of the role of women in the Church and an expansion of their roles;
4. an understanding that historically there is no reason for the Roman Church not to ordain married men to the priesthood as many of the Eastern Catholic Churches do; and,
5. an appreciation of the role of the Pope as the "servant of the servants of God" and not as an absolute monarch; and
6. fruitful discussions with the Orthodox churches.
There's an old joke I heard in college.
A Franciscan, a Dominican and a Jesuit were up late talking and suddenly the lights went out. The Franciscan said, "This is great. We can talk about brother Sun and sister Moon and how they give light to the world." The Dominican says, "We should discuss the philosophical implications of light versus darkness as an allegory of good and evil in the world." The Jesuit says "You guys talk all you want, I'm going to change the fuse."
We need someone to change the fuse and get some light into the darker corners of our Church.
