Rejoicing in the Election of Pope Francis I

We rejoice in the election of Pope Francis I.  What a gift to the Church, I believe, this pope will be. His humility, his love for the poor, his simple lifestyle, his approachability to which the people of his Archdiocese in Argentina can testify are indicators of the power of the Spirit at work in His life and His openness to the Spirit. 

Here is a man after the heart of St. Francis of Assisi, whose name as pope he chose. As archbishop of one of the largest dioceses in Argentina, he chose to live in a simple apartment rather than in the archbishop's palatial dwelling. He also gave up being transported in a chauffeured limousine and chose instead to take the bus to work or rode his bicycle. He also cooked his own meals.

Here is a man who follows in the footsteps of a poor Christ, as did St. Francis.  He has a heart for the poor and is very bothered by the inequal distribution of wealth in the world. In speaking to a group of Latin American bishops in 2007, he noted, as quoted by John Allen in a March 3, 2013, report published by the National Catholic Reporter,  that "we live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least. The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilitiesof a fuller life for so many of our brothers."

"He is no defender of clerical privilege, or insensitive to pastoral realities. In September 2012, he delivered a blistering attack on priests who refuse to baptize children born out of wedlock, calling it a form of 'rigorous and hypocritical neo-clericalism,''' writes journalist John Allen, for the National Catholic Reporter.

Let us join in thanking the Lord for this, His servant, and let us pray for him and the Church, all of us, that we may truly choose to live the Gospel life.