Anthea Butler

March 13, 2013

 

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. Taking his name from St. Francis of Assisi, his Uri Et Orbi welcomed Romans, and hinted at his focus on evangelism. Bergoglio was Pope Benedict’s only real rival in the last Conclave of 2005, receiving 40 votes.

 

Like Benedict, however, Bergoglio, is a mixed bag. Three days before the 2005 conclave, he was accused of not protecting two Jesuits priest who had been kidnapped in 1976. In an article from the Guardian dated from 2011 Hugh O’Shaughnessy discusses how the Catholic Church in Argentina has been complicit in terrible crimes. He also mentions a book, El Silencio, which reports that the then Cardinal Bergoglio hid the dictatorships political prisoners at his vacation home named El Silencio. The charges were not substantiated, yet human rights groups have found Bergoglio problematic because of the complicity of the church in the Argentine dictatorship, and his stances on abortion, and same sex marriage. The new Pope’s connections to the military junta in Argentina, will also  be discussed heavily in the next few days.

 

Like many prelates of the Catholic church, however, this story also resides alongside his care for the poor and infirm. In 2001 He is also however, a man who has washed the feet of aids patients, cooks his own meals, and rode the bus to the office as a Cardinal.

 

What is most interesting however, is that the Cardinals have chosen a from a member of the Jesuits for pope. The order, founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola, has been often touted as the saviors of the Catholic church during the Reformation, for their missionary work and their focus on Catholic education.  Jesuits also take a special oath to the Pope, and their trajectory to become a Jesuit is a rigorous one. Jesuits are noted for their adeptness with languages, spirituality, and their missionary and social justice work. The choice, however, surprised even Father Lombardi, Vatican spokesperson, who is also a Jesuit. Jesuits traditionally did not aspire to clerical offices, seeing themselves as missionaries for God.  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 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, it’s 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. It remains to be seen how this papacy will go, but I can tell you this.. don’t expect women or married priests anytime soon. There are a few messes the church still has to clean up first.

 Edited for clarity 3/13 9:31 pm

Tags: Anthea Butler, Argentina, Cardinal Bergoglio, Jesuits, Pope, Pope Francis

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