Jorge Cardinal Mario Bergoglio of Argentina shown washing and  kissing the feet of AIDS patients, is now most aptly known to the world as Pope Francis 1.  The new Pontiff chose his Papal name in homage to Saint Francis of Assisi, another patron of God’s poor, His cast-off, His abandoned and His dispossessed.

Our new Papa, Francis 1, lives a life of quiet, humble service, in splendid emulation of his patron, Saint Francis of Assisi and likewise of the Buddha.

Our new Pope, Francis I, was trained as a Jesuit, yet he lives the humble and simple life of a Franciscan!!!

The duty of all Catholics, of all Christian followers of Christ, of all good and pious men of all faiths everywhere, is to live their lives as closely as they can in emulation of Jesus and how He lived His Own.  The Church is not difficult or mysterious as some may say.  It is very simple–Live as Jesus lived.

Our new Papa, Francis I, yesterday a Prince of The Church is now today Her Emperor.  We are pleasantly startled to discover this morning that our new Monarch, our Emperor of 1.25 billion Catholics, by far the largest and most influential Empire of this earth, lives his life in quiet emulation of Saint Francis of Assisi, under whose remarkable patronage, Francis I, selected his papal name.

We find likewise this morning that our new Pope did not, as a Prince of the Church, live in the palace at Buenos Aires set aside for his use, but rather in a simple apartment, cooking his own simple meals, taking the bus and trams to his office and spent a great deal of his time ministering to the poor, the outcast, the abandoned and the dispossessed of Argentina.

St. Francis of Assisi, patron of the poor people and of the animals and the woodlands, was born a prince, but took a pass on that life to instead serve God, his fellow-man and the animals of the woodlands.  He is the  greatest Saint of God’s Church.

Pope Francis’ patron, Francis of Assisi, must be very proud and happy of our new Pope. St. Francis, himself a prince, lived much of his early life as a wastrel, drinking, gaming and chasing skirts, until one day, in a vision, he was called to serve the poor of mankind and also the animals of the woodlands and the forests.  For his efforts, St Francis is one of the great Saints of the Church and a remarkable example to us all of how our lives are, most appropriately, to be lived.

The Buddha by Odilon Redon.  The Buddha, as did St.Francis, rejected his privileged life of Prince Royal, direct in line to his Father King and went off into the woodlands to preach to the poor carrying only his begging bowl for his subsistence.

 

In like vein, the Buddha, born a prince, intended to be a king, renounced all earthly trappings and lived among the wretchedly poor people with only his begging bowl for his daily sustenance.

Our pope Francis 1 has set for himself a very high bar of expectation in deliberately taking the name of Francis of Assisi, and, by derivation, living in accord with the life road map set out by the Buddha.

Let us take a moment to recall yesterday as we all strive to discern its meaning to ourselves and the world.

These words for our record on these pages historical announced by French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam”: “I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope.” “HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM: “We have Pope Francis.”

Likewise for our record historical, this video clip of the newly elected Pope:

Some memories of just yesterday for the record historical…

PBS News hour video of the first appearance of Pope Francis and his first remarks, spoken in Italian, before a huge crowd in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

This next also for our record historical with, all due good credit as noted, to Reuters:

VATICAN CITY, March 13 (Reuters) – Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, and said he would take the name Francis I.

Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal he had been chosen to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. The choice of Bergoglio was announced by French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam”: “I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope”

Francis becomes the 266th pontiff in the Church’s 2,000-year history at a time of great crisis and difficulty. Although a conservative he is seen as a reformer and was not among the small group of frontrunners identified before the election.

He also went against one of the main assumptions before the election, that the new pope would be relatively young.

He is the oldest of most of the possible candidates and was barely mentioned in feverish speculation about the top contenders before the conclave.

FIRST JESUIT POPE

He is the first Jesuit to become pope.

The decision by 115 cardinal electors sequestered in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel came sooner than many experts expected because there were several frontrunners before the vote to replace Pope Benedict, who resigned in February.

The cardinals faced a thorny task in finding a leader capable of overcoming crises caused by priestly child abuse and a leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church government or Curia.

The wave of problems is thought to have contributed to Benedict’s decision to become the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate.

Thousands of people sheltering from heavy rain under a sea of umbrellas had occupied the square all day to await the decision and the crowd swelled as soon as the white smoke emerged.

They cheered wildly and raced towards the basilica as the smoke billowed from a narrow makeshift chimney and St Peter’s bells rang.

The excited crowd cheered even more loudly when Francis appeared, the first pontiff to take that name. “Viva il Papa,” they chanted.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m absolutely delighted. It’s a very unique moment. There is a great sense of unity here. It’s great they have come to a decision about who will lead the Church,” said John Mcginley, a Scottish priest from Glasgow who travelled to see the conclave.

“It’s a great moment in history, something I can tell my mum,” said David Brasch, 30, from Brisbane Australia. “He’s got to get the child abuse under control, I don’t know how they’re going to do that. He’s got to unite 1.2 billion people.”

Bands from the Italian armed forces and the Vatican’s own Swiss Guard army paraded in front of the basilica before the new pope appeared.

The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first ballot and four ballots were held on Wednesday. Francis obtained the required two thirds majority in the fifth ballot.

Following a split ballot when they were first shut away amid the chapel’s Renaissance splendour on Tuesday evening, the cardinal electors held a first full day of deliberations on Wednesday. Black smoke rose after the morning session to signal no decision.

The previous four popes were all elected within two or three days.

Seven ballots have been required on average over the last nine conclaves. Benedict was clear frontrunner in 2005 and elected after only four ballots.

End Reuters above—all rights reserved them.

“Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam”: “I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope.” “HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM: “We have Pope Francis.”

Best guess here is that the selection by the conclave of Argentinean Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be the new Pope Francis 1 suggests the Cardinals wanted a status quo candidate who would not make significant changes in either dogma or governance.

The Bergoglio choice reaffirms the Italian Cardinals’ dominance over Vatican operations and Church culture.

Those expecting sweeping changes will likely be surprised by the selection not so much because Bergoglio is Argentinean of Italian blood, but because of his age, now 76. The view among reformist Cardinals was that a younger, more energetic, Pope was needed to fix the Church’s image and administrative problems.

We had initially thought that the Curia—the Vatican’s powerful bureaucracy–dominated as it is by Italians—wanted to elevate one of their own to the seat of St. Peter.

That said, the choice of Francis I certainly does not leave the Curia with less power or influence.  In point of fact, it is a consistent trait of the Italian mind to control things behind the scenes, behind the throne.

History suggests to us that many powerful men swerve sharply once elevated from those positions that those who put them into them had expected and carefully planned.

In point of fact, both of Pope Francis I’s immediate 2 past predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II, proved a great deal more stronger-willed men to handle than the Curia and others had thought they would be prior to their ascension to the throne.

With that as background for thought, we all hope and pray that Francis I will prove out to be a great and inspirational leader.

We live in a very sad, violent and terribly troubled world.  We pray that Pope Francis I can prove capable of being our most needed moral beacon that helps bring the light of God back to those who have either rejected that light or never knew of it to begin with.

Yes, today we live in a tempestuous, bellicose and cravenly materialistic world.  All happiness and joy seems often to have left us.  We pray that Pope Francis I can prove capable of serving both God and man as a most needed moral beacon who helps bring the light and joy of God back to those who have either rejected that light or never knew of it to begin with.

Pope Francis appears to us to be a man who can inspire the world and the world is in dire need of a Good Sheppard’s inspiration.

In our rather stunning opening pictures in this morning’s note to the group, it is apparent to us that Francis is very capable of bringing just such an inspiration to the world.

We pray God he does just that!!

Our poor, sad world could today very much do with another St. Francis of Assisi.  With another Buddha.

Our Pope Francis I has set for himself a very high bar of expectation in deliberately taking the name of Francis of Assisi, and, by derivation, living in accord with the road map set out by Saint Francis, and likewise, the Buddha.

May Pope Francis I stun this world in living his life as Pope as a man steeped in humility, concerning himself principally with the poor and the animals and the woodlands—all God’s children. As did St. Francis of Assisi, and the Buddha before him, let Pope Francis I lead his flock by his example of humble piety and dedication to those Jesus Christ Himself most loved and among whom He lived His Entire Life—the forgotten, the cast off, the sick, the poor, the abandoned ones.

Let Pope Francis hear this prayer: Be our light, be our example—the world so desperately needs another Jesus, another  St. Francis of Assisi, another Buddha.  In point of fact, this world could well do with over 5 billion mirror-images of these great men!!  Just think for a moment, friends, how that would change the world–how that will change your life!!

Pope Francis—hear this prayer—if you want to be a true servant of Jesus, become as was Jesus, become as was St. Francis of Assisi, become as was Buddha.  Inspire the people of the world to follow you and likewise become like these men!!

 

May God guide Pope Francis I and bless his Papacy.

Amen.

 

 

John Daniel Begg

At Washington DC

Thursday, 14th March, Anno Domini Nostri Iesu Christi, 2013