A Jesuit who takes the name Francis? "thought to be close to Comunione e Liberazione"? "known for personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and a commitment to social justice"? "lives in a small apartment, rather than in the palatial bishop's residence?" (Wikipedia)
I don't think I even knew his name before today, but sounds very good.
I skimmed through the prospectuses published here there and the next place, but he did not make an impression.
It appears he is an ethnic Italian who has held positions in the Curia co-incident with his position as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. However, he is not a creature of the Curia, having lived in Argentina nearly all his life and only having intermittent business in Rome as an elderly man.
He is of the regular clergy rather than the secular clergy and has had a different mix of assignments than his two predecessors. Benedict was an academic, a curial official, and a bishop in that order. John Paul was a bishop and an academic in that order. Francis appears to have been a bishop and provincial in that order, with stints as a seminary instructor and on this or that curial committee.
I would like to think his pontificate will complement the previous two, in particular taking out the trash in the Curia. However, you get what you get.
John Allen’s profile of him, written about ten days ago, is here. I’m surprised. I really don’t know anything about him. I liked that he began by praying for the former pope, and asking the people to pray for him.
I missed the Urbi et Orbi blessing (and the plenary indulgence that goes with it) because the radio station I was tuned to cut to a market report. I’ve always disliked market reports, and now I despise them.
Taking out the trash? No way. He’s more likely to cover up everything.
Poor Church.
Look for his treatment of Maccarone and Bargallo stints (bishops that went out with a male prostitute and divorced woman) to get a taste of where he comes from.
I can only hope you’re wrong, Argentina.
He’s more likely to cover up everything.
In this country, ‘cover-up’ means ‘did not issue a press release decorated with annotated lyrical drawings’ (and “bail-out” means “extended a bridge loan paid back 18 months later”).
One bishop resigned in 2005 and the other in 2012, both due to sexual misconduct. The Pope was the metropolitan of one of these bishops (not the other) and Primate of Argentina. A discussion of his authority in those capacities can be had here
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10244c.htm
and here.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12423b.htm
Initial reaction? Pretty happy!
It was about 5am here when the cardinals elected him, so I only found out about 45 minutes ago. The excitement was enough to get me out of bed. 🙂
Mac, I hope too, but not too much. Art Deco, he expressed his solidarity with both bishops and attacked those who published the news.
Some news about both cases and his handling:
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/subnotas/55449-18479-2005-08-23.html
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1486057-casaretto-bargallo-esta-en-penitencia-y-oracion
I also know firsthand some case where he protected a priest who is a known emblezzer (is that the word for estafador?) and had many problems with children (he tried to approach my youngest brother) I won’t be surprised if this priest ends up at IOR.
So, I hope the office change the man.
How are people there reacting, in general?
“embezzler”–close 🙂
I have never attempted to use Google Translate before, so here goes.
The statements (the first of which is actually a joint statement with two other bishops) are insipid and one does definitely get the impression that the tone of their remarks is driven by the signatories being in the same line of work. They certainly do not, however, ‘express solidarity’ with either bishop in the sense of endorsing their avocation to sexual misconduct. Neither do I see attacks on anyone. They just decline to call a spade a spade while running on about the social ministries of these two men.
In a statement, signed by Mirás, Fenoy Bergoglio and expressed his “gratitude” to the former bishop of Santiago del Estero by the work of the diocese “in the service of the poor” and threatened. In the climate of great tension in ecclesiastical circles generated by the events surrounding the resignation of Bishop Juan Carlos Maccarone, the Executive Committee of the Episcopal Conference yesterday issued a statement in which he expressed his “gratitude” to the former bishop of Santiago del Estero by the work done in that diocese “in the service of the poor and those who have faith and life threatened” and expressed his “affection, understanding and prayer.” The statement is signed by the President of the Episcopal Conference, Eduardo Mirás, the Cardinal of Buenos Aires, Jorge Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Corrientes, Domingo Castagna, and general secretary of the episcopal, Sergio Fenoy.
The text of the highest authorities of the Catholic hierarchy was released at the beginning of the regular meeting of bishops yesterday planned beforehand in order to discuss, among other topics, the preparation of the Episcopal Assembly will be held in the month in November and elect new officers to the Argentine bishops.
The bishops’ statement follows the line ahead of the weekend by the Apostolic Administrator of Santiago del Estero, Luis Villalba (Archbishop of Tucuman), and by forming the presbytery priests of that diocese. “The Church, in the weakness of their children, the world is a sign of the mercy of God the Father in Jesus Christ,” says the statement of the Catholic hierarchy. “This requires us daily constant conversion and penance without fear or pretend to hide the truth,” continues the statement of the highest authorities of the Episcopate.
Trying to echo manifestations of Catholic people, the bishops say they “feel at this time the pain and confusion of our people” and point out that in such circumstances, “it is time to renew our faith in the power of God’s grace” .
Thus, the Executive Commission of the Bishops stated that “we sympathize with the presbytery and the town of Santiago del Estero and with them ‘we want to express our thanks to the work of six long years of Monsignor Juan Carlos Maccarone in the service of the poor and of those who have faith and life threatened. ‘” The quotation from the document that the priests of Santiago were released on Saturday in what was the first public demonstration of the church since it became known Maccarone’s resignation. Without neglecting the person of the bishop resigning members of the Executive Committee of the Bishops state that “we accompany our brother with affection, understanding and prayer.”
The meeting of the bishops continue throughout today and tomorrow and will involve a dozen members of the church hierarchy, which constitute the largest group of the Episcopal Conference regarding decisions. The meeting will also take the apostolic nuncio, Adriano Bernardini, who was commissioned to convey to Maccarone accept his resignation. Although the agenda of the Standing Commission of the Bishops was initially focused on internal matters of the Church and prepare the general assembly of the Bishops to be held in the month of November to elect new officers of the Episcopal Conference, is possible that the “case Maccarone “and all that that implies for the life of the Church will take the time and the bishops’ concerns over any other issue.
Moreover, in Santiago del Estero transcended statements made two months ago by the Bishop Maccarone to justice in which the prelate said that since he took charge of the diocese “I realized that was guarded by police and identified themselves as such, telling me that they had instructions to follow superiority and control me in my pastoral activities. ” To this he added that such follow-ups occur when “visiting parishes, conversing with the congregation, heard concerns and transmitting the word of God.”
“There’s a sadness that makes the Church today as I would not be able to celebrate these 15 years where so many things were under the guidance of the pastor,” he said last night the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the Mass in which the change occurred Bishop of the Diocese of Merlo-Moreno.
In the overflowing parish of Our Lady of the Rosary, in Moreno, Bergoglio prayed that the Church can “transform sadness into hope.” So spoke, without naming him, the former bishop Fernando Bargalló, who resigned after the scandal spreading compromising photos with Mary of Victories Bo Martinez on a beach in Mexico in the summer of 2011.
It was his interim successor in the diocese, Monsignor Jorge Casaretto, who said the current situation Bargalló. “Now it’s up to Fernando to be in a time of retreat, of penance and prayer. My mission is to accompany the brother Fernando in his way of reflection. This is a transitional stage and I hope for a short time,” said Casaretto to Mass fully confirm all the authorities of the diocese.
Both Bergoglio as Casaretto had words of support to the pastoral mission of Bargalló. Bergoglio was which, elliptically alluded to local political power in the current situation of the former bishop. “He worked for the poor and it was worth the chase. Worked also for the elderly and to listen to the kids. Today we have with the United Church, humanitarian and missionary and have come to give thanks for these 15 years walking together.”
In the Mass for the 15th anniversary of the Diocese of Merlo-Moreno, created by decree of Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1997 and whose first bishop Bargalló, were all priests of this jurisdiction, many residents of Merlo and Moreno and even a group of religious community servants of the Gospel, which began in 2002 his pastoral work there and was extended to other dioceses.
Alessandra, Isabelle and Cristina, religious Servers that are part of the Gospel along with Américo (secular), attended the Mass and Bargalló lamented the situation. “He opened the doors when we arrived in 2002 and also to go to other dioceses,” said Alessandra, from Brazil, to the nation, when the ceremony was almost over.
For the parishioners there was no doubt that the religious service of Bergoglio (primate of the metropolitan area) and Casaretto was not only the 15 years of the diocese, but by the mission accomplished by Bargalló.
“Viva Fernando María Bargalló!” Shouted a man from the back of the church and the Mass ended with a loud and sustained applause of all
Well, I find it hard to believe that 114 cardinals had never heard any of this before or, especially in today’s climate, that 77 of them would have voted for him if they thought there was the slightest chance that he had done anything reprehensible.
AMDG
I’ve used Google Translate a fair amount, but usually with less widely-spoken languages than Spanis. These translations are way more coherent than I usually get.
I have to say those newspaper accounts don’t sound scandalous to me. They sound like the sort of things a bishop would say about an erring brother.
So when a bishop resigned after a relationship with a male prostitute, and his resignation had been accepted, the archbishop issued a public statement that thanked him for his work for life and social justice, expressed affection, understanding and prayer, while calling for constant conversion and penance without fearing or trying to hide the truth, and renewal of faith in the power of God’s grace. Is the scandal that he didn’t kick his fellow bishop when he was down? Or that he saw some good in a homosexual’s work for life and social justice? Or that he covered the affair up by issuing a public statement about it saying the truth should be faced without fear? My Spanish has never been very good. What am I missing?
This is the man the Western media, never having heard of before yesterday, is suddenly trying to paint as an anti-homosexual bigot. Is the scandal the bit where he expresses affection for a known homosexual, or the bit where he calls for conversion and penance?
Maybe you get it wrong because it’s actually in Spanis. 🙂 (see my previous comment)
But seriously–that’s more or less the way I read it. It doesn’t sound like he was hiding or excusing the misdeeds.
From what I have read, it seems like he’s pretty good at hating the sin and loving the sinner, and distinguishing between the two. Some people will either be unable to, or refuse to make that distinction and hate him for it. So far I really like him. Not that I think my approval is really necessary. 🙂
AMDG
But let us know if he calls you and asks what you think.
So far I really like him, too.
He called me yesterday and I told him “so far, so good.”
Way to go!
Well, I’m surprised. His first actions as Pope are not like he was here.
– “if we do not confess Jesus Christ, it is no good. We will become a humanitarian NGO”
– “When one does not confess Jesus Christ, one confesses the worldliness of the devil, the worldliness of the demon”
– what’s reported about his treatment of Cardinal Law (i cannot find any article in english, http://www.periodistadigital.com/religion/vaticano/2013/03/15/francisco-a-bernard-law-no-quiero-que-frecuente-esta-basilica.shtml )
All would suggest that he’s really going to be very different as Pope Francis that the was the old Cardinal Bergoglio.
I hope so.
(Now, after seeing this things, I just don’t want to talk about Bergoglio past. It’s over)
Thanks
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/21/pope-francis-argentinian-junta-priest
No, I am not a robot. I am just posting a link.
AMDG
That’s good to know, but unlikely to quiet the accusers. No specific act is necessary in order for them to blame him for having been too close to the junta, not actively resisting, etc. Sorta like Pius XII.
The people who came up with the headline Pope Francis To Meet Argentinian Nobel Winner, As Questions Linger About Dictatorship somehow never worked up the interest to report that: Nobel peace laureate says Pope Francis was not complicit in Dirty War.
On a side note, it’s a strange world where the media seem to think somebody lauded by a faceless committee in Scandinavia can or should sit in judgement of the pope.
At least it’s a laureate who thinks he was not complicit.
Within 24 hours of the election I saw a headline on CNN that said something like “Genial New Pope Has Shadowy Past.”
Light On Dark Water 
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