Well this is awkward.
The surprise of Cardinal Bergoglio from Argentina as the new Pope, Pope Francis, is matched by the order he comes from—The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits … Bergoglio was Pope Benedict’s only real rival in the last Conclave of 2005, receiving 40 votes …
What is most interesting however, is that the Cardinals have chosen from a member of the Jesuits for pope. The leader of the Jesuits, the General, has often been referred to as “the Black Pope”. Now, both the seat of Peter, the White Pope, and the Black Pope are both Jesuits. Let the conspiracy theories begin.
The choice of Pope Francis I then, is a complicated one for the church, and for the world. While it has annoyed many non-Catholics to put up with this news all week, the fact is, its not just an election of a religious figure, but a political one. After all, the pope may be the Bishop of Rome, but he also runs Vatican City, a city state.
Congrats, Francis. You go girl.
Big comeback for the Jesuits! The papacy tried to extinguish them back in the day. Guess which order the new pope belongs to?
One of the things I love about a papal conclave is that it’s eight hours ahead. It’s got all the gravitas of a presidential election, but none of the minute by minute developments. So I can enjoy all the coverage without feeling like I have to stay glued to a television or a smartphone for breaking news.
The smoke is black or white. See you tomorrow.
The next pope will be Christoph Schönborn, cardinal archbishop of Vienna. The principal editor of the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church, Schönborn was among Benedict’s favorite students back when the current pope was a theology professor, and he stands as one of the few high clerics to act heroically during the sexual-abuse scandal. What’s more, he urged Benedict to push into retirement the flawed Cardinal Sodano (a man whose career has been repeatedly touched by reports of financial impropriety, however much the old-priests’ network tried to shield him). Smart, personable, profoundly devout, Schönborn deserves to be pope.
Except, of course, that no one ever deserves that office beyond all human deserts. For that matter, Schönborn’s efforts came to naught, and Sodano successfully fended off retirement. He remains dean of the college of cardinals and will lead the conclave that picks the new pope in the middle of March, which, one imagines, rather weakens the 68-year-old Schönborn’s chances. “He’s simply stepped on too many toes,” one Roman cleric explained. Vatican officials will form a third of the conclave: 39 out of 117 members. And while they may respect Schönborn—it was he who, for example, led the effort to elect Benedict in the conclave of 2005—they do not trust him not to reassign them all to missionary work in the Outer Hebrides. Fire them all, God will know his own isn’t a line most of the Vatican wants to hear from someone newly elected to St. Peter’s throne.
Which means the next pope probably won’t be Christoph Schönborn, cardinal archbishop of Vienna.
“What is faith but a kind of betting or speculation after all? It should be, I bet that my Redeemer liveth.”
-Samuel Butler, 1835-1902
We May Never Know Why The Pope Resigned
Today the speculations will swirl, but it’ll eventually peter out when the race for the next Pope takes over the news. The Vatican is simply too opaque to make even intelligent guesses. You know how opaque the Vatican is? The journalist who broke the story heard the Pope giving his announcement to the Cardinals in Latin, and understood it, and then ran with the story. (Let nobody doubt the value of a classical education again.)
(Source: We May Never Know Why The Pope Resigned)
