Yesterday, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 265th successor of St. Peter. He was that guy every media person was talking about before yesterday, who was expected to become the next Pope.
Wait a minute, no. That was a bunch of other people that weren’t him.
Fittingly enough, this humble man from Buenos Aires entered into the Papacy without his name being thrown around too much beforehand. Apparently Pope Francis hasn’t historically been one for a media presence. Even when he was appointed as Cardinal, he introduced himself and was known across the board as “Father Jorge”. Most people came into contact with this man never knowing he was a Cardinal. When Pope Francis first came out after being announced as the new Pope, he was all:
Wait a minute, no. That was a bunch of other people that weren’t him.
Fittingly enough, this humble man from Buenos Aires entered into the Papacy without his name being thrown around too much beforehand. Apparently Pope Francis hasn’t historically been one for a media presence. Even when he was appointed as Cardinal, he introduced himself and was known across the board as “Father Jorge”. Most people came into contact with this man never knowing he was a Cardinal. When Pope Francis first came out after being announced as the new Pope, he was all:
But then after a brief few seconds, he was like:
<Image of friendly Pope Francis redacted due to copywrite>
<Image of friendly Pope Francis redacted due to copywrite>
Many people (myself included), upon hearing how gentle this man was, mistook this gentleness for a lack of personality. Well, that was quickly disproven after one of the first things he did as Pope was crack a joke. Hey, I wonder if he likes all those Jesuit jokes.
Really though – take a look at this picture. While hilarious, it also points out a very real truth about our new Pope, and what a meek man he is.
Really though – take a look at this picture. While hilarious, it also points out a very real truth about our new Pope, and what a meek man he is.
Then, instead of going straight into the Blessing over the people that the newly elected Popes are prescribed to do, he took a little detour, asking for a minute of silence for prayer, so that everybody else could first pray for God to bless him. It’s not every day when you’re seeking a blessing from the Pope that he asks you to bless him instead.
If you’ve been watching Pope Francis so far, or have done some research on him, he’s the type of guy who would give you the Pope-shoes off his feet. He embodies humbleness. Upon becoming a cardinal in 2001, Pope Francis refused to order new robes, and simply had the already used robes of another cardinal mended for his own use. Along with being a cardinal came the nice living quarters of the palatial bishop’s residence. Not for Father Jorge. He chose to live in a small apartment nearby. Oh, and the chauffeured limousine at his disposal? Not for him. He chose the bus and the trains. He denied these luxuries that were presented to him as he chose to live his daily life in service of the poor, the meek, and the neglected. In 2005, during the election process where Benedict the XVI became Pope, Father Jorge was a strong contender, with votes often being split between Benedict and himself. Well apparently Father Jorge was also voting for Benedict, because he actually got up and pleaded with the Cardinals to not vote for him, because he also thought Benedict was what the Church needed. Apparently, he gave them an IOU.
Further embodying humbleness into his life, it was only fitting he chose the name Francis, after St. Francis Xavier de Sales of Assisi. Once again, an unexpected name choice, albeit a fitting one. The Jesuit chose the name of the founder of the Franciscans. No “my Order is better than yours” rivalry there. Pope Francis chose his name due to the devotion to the poor St. Francis of Assisi had. The most famous prayer of St. Francis perfectly embodies the meek persona of Pope Francis.
If you’ve been watching Pope Francis so far, or have done some research on him, he’s the type of guy who would give you the Pope-shoes off his feet. He embodies humbleness. Upon becoming a cardinal in 2001, Pope Francis refused to order new robes, and simply had the already used robes of another cardinal mended for his own use. Along with being a cardinal came the nice living quarters of the palatial bishop’s residence. Not for Father Jorge. He chose to live in a small apartment nearby. Oh, and the chauffeured limousine at his disposal? Not for him. He chose the bus and the trains. He denied these luxuries that were presented to him as he chose to live his daily life in service of the poor, the meek, and the neglected. In 2005, during the election process where Benedict the XVI became Pope, Father Jorge was a strong contender, with votes often being split between Benedict and himself. Well apparently Father Jorge was also voting for Benedict, because he actually got up and pleaded with the Cardinals to not vote for him, because he also thought Benedict was what the Church needed. Apparently, he gave them an IOU.
Further embodying humbleness into his life, it was only fitting he chose the name Francis, after St. Francis Xavier de Sales of Assisi. Once again, an unexpected name choice, albeit a fitting one. The Jesuit chose the name of the founder of the Franciscans. No “my Order is better than yours” rivalry there. Pope Francis chose his name due to the devotion to the poor St. Francis of Assisi had. The most famous prayer of St. Francis perfectly embodies the meek persona of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis: both the humble servant AND the Supreme Pontiff. The man who can guide the Church with a gentle yet powerful hand, and reach out to the least of us, as he has dedicated his life to do. Let’s say a prayer of thanks for such a wonderful man being elected Pope, and continue to pray for him as his new journey begins.
