The newly appointed Pope Francis may be better suited to look at the issues currently facing the church, said Franciscan Friar Kevin Lynch, director of Mount St. Francis Retreat.
All attention was on the Catholic Church March 19, as the new pope was inaugurated in the Vatican. Lynch said he’s encouraged by the pope’s choice of the name Francis.
“One of Francis of Assisi’s intense spiritual insights came when he was reflecting before the cross of San Damiano (a small chapel by Assisi) and heard the words ‘Go repair my house, which is falling in ruins,’” said Lynch in an email. “Such inspiration is necessary today for our universal church. A man from far away may be better suited to look at issues that are systemic to a body, like our church’s bureaucracy.”
Although it was surprising to see the appointment of a non-European pope, Jesuit Father Max Oliva, from Las Vegas, Nevada, said it was even more surprising to see the appointment of a Jesuit.
“Choosing a Jesuit is unheard of,” he told the Cochrane Eagle via email. “This took everyone by surprise, especially Jesuits. We were told in the early days of our vocation that Jesuits do not seek higher office in the church, like being a Bishop or Archbishop. However, we would accept such a role if the Pope asked us to. And that, therefore, there would never be a Jesuit Pope.”
Jesuit is the nickname for the religious order officially know as the Society of Jesus. Founded by Saint Ignatius Loyola, Jesuits are known as intellectuals, with a “great tradition of discernment,” said Lynch. He added that this characteristic may have been developed as Pope Francis — formerly the Archbishop of Buenos Aires — lived the simple life and worked with the poor in Argentina.
“Like most people outside of Argentina, I did not know of (Pope Francis) before his election,” said Oliva. “I am impressed by his humility, his simplicity (though highly educated) and the ways in which he is like his namesake, Francis of Assisi.
“In light of what we have seen in the past few days of Pope Francis, this prayer seems particularly appropriate:
Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not count the cost,
to fight and not heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.”
