This was a day of firsts; first Pope from South America; first Pope to use the name Francis; and the first Pope from the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.
I was at work when the announcement came in. I hurried down to our building lobby, which has a flat screen TV. They always show CNN, and there it was, the scenes from Rome. They replayed the scene of the white smoke coming out of the smokestack. It appears they finally got the right chemical mix, because I have never seen such unmistakable white smoke coming out of the Sistine Chapel. Waiting for that announcement, I was experiencing conflicting emotions, fearful that the College of Cardinals may have taken Cardinal Sean from us, but hoping he received the nod. I finally had to go back to my office, and saw the first appearance of the new Pontiff on somebody's computer screen. I had to go to the National Catholic Reporter website to find his bio.
The Franciscan in me is thrilled that he selected the name of our founder. That he is a conservative, well, one could not expect otherwise. I think he could make some Catholic capitalists a little uneasy ( maybe very uneasy)! It is still too early to know what course he will set for the Bark of St. Peter. The next few months will tell. He has definitely set a different style from the moment he stepped out on the balcony. We are in for some interesting times.
I'm cautiously optimistic. You could've knocked me over with a feather when he asked for our prayers. (In a good way.)
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