White smoke issued from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signaling that the Catholic Church has a new pope, Francis I. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elevated to the Papal throne to replace Benedict XVI who unexpectantly retired from the world earlier in the year.
The new Pope is the first from Argentina.
He is also a Jesuit and probably took the suname of the founder of the Society of Jesus, Francis Xavier.
I was educated by the Jesuits at Boston College. They showed a zeal for bettering the minds of their students. They haven’t been mentioned in the widespread scandal of child-abuse rocking the Church. During his time in Buenos Aires, the conservative cardinal opposed abortion and birth control as well as writing about same-sex marriage as follows, “Let’s not be naive, we’re not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.”
So the Church has chosen.
Life shall be as life has been for thousands of years.
Not like I was expecting a change from Old Time Religion.
I remain faithful to atheism.
It’s the modern way.
ps The new pope is 75, meaning the cardinals weren’t looking for a pope with longevity.
And they found their man.