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From a comment: Habemas Papem (for those who are Catholic)
As far as the new Pope goes, as a non-Catholic, who went to Catholic schools, I see a couple of rays of hope.
- He's pastoral -- his first loyalty is to the flock
- He's Jesuit -- he believes in the existence of science. And math. And critical thinking.
- He chose the name Francis in spite of being a Jesuit. The Franciscan values are very different from Benedictine ones in terms of their vows and ideals. He's making a clear delineation in that choice of name. Francis was a firebrand who spoke out against many of the issues that eventually led Martin Luther to start the Reformation. He cleaned up a corrupt church from within. This is an amazing choice for papal name.
- He's old. This is a transitional choice. He's an Italian, but he's from the New World. He has a clear intellectual framework from which to draw, and he can lay the groundwork for the next Pope to be a major reformer.
Also, I'm looking forward to mass being said with a Tango beat.
- He's pastoral -- his first loyalty is to the flock
- He's Jesuit -- he believes in the existence of science. And math. And critical thinking.
- He chose the name Francis in spite of being a Jesuit. The Franciscan values are very different from Benedictine ones in terms of their vows and ideals. He's making a clear delineation in that choice of name. Francis was a firebrand who spoke out against many of the issues that eventually led Martin Luther to start the Reformation. He cleaned up a corrupt church from within. This is an amazing choice for papal name.
- He's old. This is a transitional choice. He's an Italian, but he's from the New World. He has a clear intellectual framework from which to draw, and he can lay the groundwork for the next Pope to be a major reformer.
Also, I'm looking forward to mass being said with a Tango beat.