Obligatory New Pope Post
Blogged by James Preece on 14th March 2013
Some brief comments coz I seem to have no time these days...
The first Pope Francis - which makes me happy because Francis is my middle name. Did you know St Francis of Assisi never said "Preach the Gospel Always. If Necessary, Use Words." Not even once. He did however say "No brother should preach contrary to the form and regulation of the holy Church" so take that hippies.
The first Jesuit Pope - apparently the joke doing the rounds is that "the Cardinals finally found a way to make a Jesuit be loyal to the Pope". Haw Haw. It's funny because it's true...
A Scientist Pope - a few people are saying the 'first' scientist Pope but I'm not so sure. What I do know is he has a masters degree in chemistry. As I've said before on this blog - some of the most religious people I've known are scientists.
The first Pope from outside of Europe for, oh, er, quite a bit - which is great because everybody knows the stuffy conservative europeans are holding everybody back from a world of fun. I don't know enough about Pope Francis to comment about him as an individual, but my experience of clergy from outside of Europe is that they are far from liberal on matters of marriage and family life. Mr Tablet man is going to be dissapointed.
One more thing... I mentioned last week my suprise when Pope Benedict failed to go around sacking everybody and simply told us about Jesus. I mean - a Pope talking about Jesus, who would have thought? I'm sure that says more about me and the culture in the Church than it does about Pope Benedict.
Pope Francis has suprised me in a similar way - by getting people to pray. I'm sure Pope Benedict lead plenty of prayers just like I'm sure Pope John Paul II talked a lot about Jesus but somehow I don't recall having particularly noticed. Perhaps I wan't listening properly.
Pope Francis. Day one. Bam.
He's got us praying.
Reader Comments
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Chrysostom said...
Let us all resolve to pray daily for the Holy Father and to abstain from comments about him: we can leave that to the hacks of the newspapers who can hardly write a sentence about the Catholic Church without perpetrating a howler.
Our Lady Help of Christians - pray for us.
St Athanasius - pray for us
All Ye English Martyrs - pray for us.
St. Charles Lwanga and Companion Martyrs of Uganda who were martyred because they resisted the advances of an evil homosexual paedophile – pray for us.
St Francis - pray for us.
St Peter - pray for us.
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Paul Priest said...
Sylvester II was definitely a scientist
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jack Regan said...
An absolutely brilliant choice by the Holy Spirit.
We live in fascinating times!!
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Mockery of the Sacraments said...
I have read reports indicating that Pope Francis lived a simple lifestyle as a Cardinal Prince of the Church. He would use public transport and do his own cooking. This is a good thing, people like humility in a leader.
I recently had the pleasure of reading the rorate-caeli blog. Some people there have taken a very negative view of the new Pope.
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epsilon said...
Not alone having us praying silently along with a +100,000 crowd but leading with modernista prayers like the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be - very worrying for those of us who want to get back to praying Catholic prayers;)
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Catherine said...
Here are some interesting reacrions to the new Pope from UK and Ireland on the Aleteia website.
http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/news/reactions-to-the-new-pope-from-the-uk-510001
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Ben Trovato said...
I agree: I too was delighted by Pope Francis' instinct to pray - and to get us to pray - for his predecessor, for himself.
However, one of the things that really did strike me about Pope Benedict, was his prayerfulness, particularly in the liturgy, and especially when he visited the UK. I contrasted his approach with that of our own dear liturgy experts here: http://ccfather.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/liturgical-infantilism-v-liturgical.html
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Natalie Trust said...
I will never forget that moment of silence. Humility and prayer in his first moments with us. As a convert, I am excited to celebrate my one year anniversary in the church and our new Pope!
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Catherine said...
Saint Laurence Justinian says that nobody knows well what humility is, but he who has received the gift thereof from God; that it is of itself very hard to be known, and that there is nothing in which man deceives himself so much as in the knowing what true humility is.
You think, says he, that it consists in saying, you are a sinner, and a miserable creature. If it consisted in that, nothing in the world would be easier; we should all be humble, for we all speak in that manner, and God grant, we believe what we say, and that our words on the occasion are not mere matter of form.
You think that humility consists also in wearing plain clothes, and in employing yourself in mean and despicable offices; by no means—there may still lurk a great deal of pride at bottom. It may very well happen, that by adopting this mode you wish to distinguish yourself from others, and to pass for a better and more humble man than they, and so all may be but a sort of refined pride. Note that these exterior things, as I shall hereafter shew, contribute much to true humility, when they are made use of as they ought, but, after all, it does not consist therein.
"Many," says Saint Jerome, "embrace the shadow and appearance of humility, but few embrace humility itself." It is very easy to look down upon the ground, to speak in a humble tone, to fetch a sigh or two, now and then, and to own one's self a sinner and a miserable creature at every word; but, if you say any thing to these persons which may hurt their feelings in the least, you will see how far they are from true humility. "Let, therefore," adds Saint Jerome, "all feigned and affected language be dropped; it is patience that shows a man to be truly humble"; it is that which is the touch-stone of humility.
Saint Bernard explains more particularly in what this virtue consists, and gives this definition of it. "Humility," says he, "is a virtue whereby a man, from a true knowledge of himself, becomes vile in his own eyes." Humility consists not therefore in words, nor in the exterior; it consists in the sentiments of the heart, in having a low and mean opinion of ourselves founded on the deep sense we have of our own nothingness; and in desiring to be despised by all the world.
Alonso Rodriguez [SJ]
The Exercise of Perfection and Christian Virtues
1609
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Nicolas Bellord said...
I am reminded of that monk who used to say to people: "You should read my book on humility; it is the best book on humility there is."
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