Pope Francis, a new era: Editorial
By 
In his Mass Wednesday celebrating the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the 266th pope, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond noted the many firsts the new pontiff represents. He is "the first pope from South America; the first pope who is a Jesuit; the first pope to take the name Francis; and the first pope to call his predecessor on the phone and say hello," the archbishop said. The last reference was an allusion to Pope Benedict XVI, who is the first pope in more than 600 years to retire.
The election of a new pope is of particular interest in the New Orleans area, which has a long connection to the Catholic Church and a large number of faithful. The fact that Pope Francis, who is the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, is from the Americas and is a Jesuit has special resonance here.
New Orleans has had a Catholic presence since the city's founding in 1718 and has the second-oldest archdiocese in the nation. Loyola University and Jesuit High School give our community a significant Jesuit presence. And our community's growing Hispanic population is another connection to Pope Francis.
Perhaps all of those connections will inspire him to grace this wonderful community with a visit, as Pope John Paul II did in 1987.
The announcement of the new pope created a sense of excitement and hope Wednesday. "Quite often, God gives us wonderful surprises, and this was one of them," said the Rev. Pedro Nunez, who works at the New Orleans Archdiocese's Hispanic Apostolate in Metairie.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said: "I pray that with this change, we can all work together to bring comfort to the afflicted, alms to the less fortunate and peace to our planet, and in the words of Our Family Prayer for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, that we are able to be victorious in the battle of today against violence, murder and racism."
In the first hours since he appeared on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome Wednesday, Pope Francis has lived up to his reputation for humility. On his first outing Thursday, he asked his driver to stop at the clerical hotel where he had been staying to pay his bill. He still is wearing a simple cassock instead of full papal regalia.
That approach fits with the apparent inspiration for his choice of name. St. Francis of Assisi rejected worldly possessions and lived among the poor. He also took on the mission of rebuilding the church. Archbishop Aymond believes there is significance there as well. "I think Pope Francis sees himself as helping to rebuild the church and call people back to it," he said.
In addition, one of Pope Francis' key challenges is expected to be dealing with the Vatican bureaucracy, which has been marred by scandal.
Pope Francis spoke briefly to the massive crowd that had gathered outside St. Peter's awaiting word of the new pope. He talked about beginning "a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust." Before offering his blessing, he asked a favor of the crowd. "I want you to bless me," he said.
A priest in the crowd told The New York Times, "I can't remember the pope asking to be blessed by the people, rather than him blessing the people first." Perhaps that was yet another first to be attached to Pope Francis. In any case, it conveyed a great deal about the new pope.
There will be much speculation on how he will proceed in leading the church. But at this moment, as he requested, it is fitting to hope that his papacy proves a blessing to the church and the world.
The election of a new pope is of particular interest in the New Orleans area, which has a long connection to the Catholic Church and a large number of faithful. The fact that Pope Francis, who is the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, is from the Americas and is a Jesuit has special resonance here.
New Orleans has had a Catholic presence since the city's founding in 1718 and has the second-oldest archdiocese in the nation. Loyola University and Jesuit High School give our community a significant Jesuit presence. And our community's growing Hispanic population is another connection to Pope Francis.
Perhaps all of those connections will inspire him to grace this wonderful community with a visit, as Pope John Paul II did in 1987.
The announcement of the new pope created a sense of excitement and hope Wednesday. "Quite often, God gives us wonderful surprises, and this was one of them," said the Rev. Pedro Nunez, who works at the New Orleans Archdiocese's Hispanic Apostolate in Metairie.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said: "I pray that with this change, we can all work together to bring comfort to the afflicted, alms to the less fortunate and peace to our planet, and in the words of Our Family Prayer for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, that we are able to be victorious in the battle of today against violence, murder and racism."
In the first hours since he appeared on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome Wednesday, Pope Francis has lived up to his reputation for humility. On his first outing Thursday, he asked his driver to stop at the clerical hotel where he had been staying to pay his bill. He still is wearing a simple cassock instead of full papal regalia.
That approach fits with the apparent inspiration for his choice of name. St. Francis of Assisi rejected worldly possessions and lived among the poor. He also took on the mission of rebuilding the church. Archbishop Aymond believes there is significance there as well. "I think Pope Francis sees himself as helping to rebuild the church and call people back to it," he said.
In addition, one of Pope Francis' key challenges is expected to be dealing with the Vatican bureaucracy, which has been marred by scandal.
Pope Francis spoke briefly to the massive crowd that had gathered outside St. Peter's awaiting word of the new pope. He talked about beginning "a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust." Before offering his blessing, he asked a favor of the crowd. "I want you to bless me," he said.
A priest in the crowd told The New York Times, "I can't remember the pope asking to be blessed by the people, rather than him blessing the people first." Perhaps that was yet another first to be attached to Pope Francis. In any case, it conveyed a great deal about the new pope.
There will be much speculation on how he will proceed in leading the church. But at this moment, as he requested, it is fitting to hope that his papacy proves a blessing to the church and the world.
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