Easter Of 1541

It was now necessary to proceed to the choice of a Superior. Hitherto they had none, for Ignatius abstained from all supremacy or dictation; on every point (except the name) the opinion of all the members was asked; when government was necessary, they exercised it in turn. 

Now that they were recognized as an order, they required a head; and in the Easter of 1541, Ignatius summoned all to Rome who 1541. could come, the others were to send their vote in writing. 

Only five could be collected; Brouet came from Sienna, Laynez from Parma, Le Jay from Brescia, Bobadilla was at Bisignano, in the kingdom of Naples; there the inhabitants petitioned the Pope that they might retain him, and the Pope forbade him to return. He had not time to send his written vote, but afterwards declared that he should have chosen like the rest. 

In prospect of this election, Xavier and Rodriguez had left their votes sealed up at Rome. Faber sent his, copied twice over, for fear of accident, from Worms, where he was attending at the Diet. Those who could come, reached Rome as soon as possible, because there was much to do. 

They had desired their Father Ignatius to form a plan for them—this was now considered, closely examined and adopted. Then the election was deferred till April 7, that all might pass three days in prayer, abstaining from consulting with one another. On the 7th the sealed papers were opened. Ignatius Ignatius was named by all.

Link (here) to read the full account of St. Ignatius of Loyola's election as the Superior General of The Society of Jesus

Boston College Gets Angry Reaction From The ACLU

Catholic universities across the United States say they would tell student groups distributing condoms on

campus to stop and would potentially threaten disciplinary action, just as Boston ­College did earlier this month.

At BC, officials sent a letter to a student group that organized ­condom pickup spots on campus, citing the university’s mission as a Catholic institution and demanding that they cease or face possible discipline. The letter provoked ­angry reaction from some students and the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which said it might pursue legal action.

Officials at Catholic colleges and universities — including the University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, the University of Dayton, Providence College, and the Catholic University of America — said that their policies similarly do not allow students to distribute condoms on campus and that students who do so could face disciplinary ­action.“One of the teachings of our faith is that contraception is morally unacceptable,” said ­Victor Nakas, a spokesman for Catholic University. “Since condoms are a form of contraception, we do not permit their distribution on campus.”

Link (here)
What is wrong with contraception? Go (here) and find out why. 

A Little To Comfortable Marxist Idealogy

Karl Marx

Jesuits, most of whom take a special vow of obedience to the pope in matters of mission, have, ironically,

had a sometimes rocky relationship with Rome over the centuries. There are a lot of reasons for that, too many to go into.

Most recently, in the early 1980s, the Vatican intervened in the internal governance of the Society; it was thought that the Jesuits had grown a little too comfortable with liberal democracy and/or Marxist ideology. That the cardinals would even consider choosing a Jesuit now, I thought, marked a new beginning in that relationship. 

It is, one prays, a moment of reconciliation......As is the custom, sometime in the next few days the superior general of the Society of Jesus, Adolfo Nicolás, will walk the short distance from the Jesuit headquarters here in Rome past the “hot dog” stand to the Apostolic Palace, where he will meet with the new pope and, in the traditional way, assure him of the Society’s commitment to serve the See of Peter. In a unique way, on that particular occasion, Father General will carry not only the promise of our filial obedience to the new holy father, but our fraternal love for our brother Jesuit and, if you’ll permit me to say so, our pride.

Link (here) to America Magazine to the piece by Fr. Matt Malone, S.J.
What is Liberation Theology ? (here)
Who is Fr. John Sabrino, S.J. ? (here)

“Any Jesuit Worth His Salt”

Pope Francis is “a Jesuit’s Jesuit” who understands the importance of St. Francis of Assisi in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, said the Jesuits’ secretary for the promotion of the faith.

U.S. Jesuit Father Gerald Blaszczak told Catholic News Service March 15 that while most Jesuits were shocked that a Jesuit was elected pope, “any Jesuit worth his salt” would not be surprised that the pope took the name of St. Francis of Assisi.

Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1958 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1969. He had been novice master and, from 1973 to 1979, was the Jesuit provincial for Argentina.

Father Blaszczak said Pope Francis’ training and priesthood as a Jesuit “tell you that he’s been steeped in Ignatian spirituality,” has had “a top-notch secular education” and that “his formation has always put him in touch with real people in real-life situations,” which he then has reflected upon in an effort to identify the ways God was present.

“That he chose the name Francis signals to us where he’s from, what he’s about and what he believes the reform of the church is going to require: It’s not going to require moral muscle, it’s not going to require just philosophical analysis; it’s going to require an engagement with the person of Christ,” particularly through the Scriptures, he said. “But it’s going to be the Christ poor and humble.”

While some people thought maybe Pope Francis took his name thinking also of the great Jesuit St. Francis Xavier, Father Blaszczak said Jesuits know just how important the life, example and spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi was in the conversion of their founder, St. Ignatius, and in the development of what has come to be known as Ignatian spirituality. St. Ignatius, who lived 1491-1556, was from a Spanish noble family. After being wounded in battle, he began reviewing his life and thinking about his future. Father Blaszczak said he saw his choices as life and a career in the royal court or a life spent imitating St. Francis of Assisi.

Link (here) to CNS

Controversial Voice Of The Faithful At Fairfield University

The Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University is co-sponsoring a conference by Voice of the Faithful in the Diocese of Bridgeport (VOTF) on Saturday, March 23. The keynote speaker is Francis Oakley, who will be presenting on “The Conciliar Heritage and the Politics of Oblivion.” Oakley is President Emeritus of Williams College, and co-authored the 2011 book The Crisis of Authority in Catholic Modernity. The 11^th annual conference is being held from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the BCC Oak Room at Fairfield University. Founded in 2002, in response to the priestly sexual abuse scandals in the Archdiocese of Boston, VOTF has been described by some bishops as "anti-Church and, ultimately, anti-Catholic " and a group that "has used the current crisis in the Church as a springboard for presenting an agenda that is anti-Church and ultimately anti-Catholic." Past conference presenters have included controversial University of Notre Dame theologian Richard P. McBrien, and Australian Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, who “urges change in Church teaching concerning all 

Link (here) to The Cardinal Newman Society

The Friend Of Christ

The only book that St. Ignatius had in his room at the time of his death 

 was purported to be The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis 

Link (here)

Friend of the Humble Supper at Emmaus

First keep thyself in peace, and then shalt thou be able to be a peacemaker towards others. A peaceable man doth more good than a well-learned. A passionate man turneth even good into evil and easily believeth evil; a good, peaceable man converteth all things into good. He who dwelleth in peace is suspicious of none, but he who is discontented and restless is tossed with many suspicions, and is neither quiet himself nor suffereth others to be quiet. He often saith what he ought not to say, and omitteth what it were more expedient for him to do. He considereth to what duties others are bound, and neglecteth those to which he is bound himself. Therefore be zealous first over thyself, and then mayest thou righteously be zealous concerning thy neighbour.

2. Thou knowest well how to excuse and to colour thine own deeds, but thou wilt not accept the excuses of others. It would be more just to accuse thyself and excuse thy brother. If thou wilt that others bear with thee, bear thou with others. Behold how far thou art as yet from the true charity and humility which knows not how to be angry or indignant against any save self alone. It is no great thing to mingle with the good and the meek, for this is naturally pleasing to all, and every one of us willingly enjoyeth peace and liketh best those who think with us: but to be able to live peaceably with the hard and perverse, or with the disorderly, or those who oppose us, this is a great grace and a thing much to be commended and most worthy of a man.

3. There are who keep themselves in peace and keep peace also with others, and there are who neither have peace nor suffer others to have peace; they are troublesome to others, but always more troublesome to themselves. And there are who hold themselves in peace, and study to bring others unto peace; nevertheless, all our peace in this sad life lieth in humble suffering rather than in not feeling adversities. He who best knoweth how to suffer shall possess the most peace; that man is conqueror of himself and lord of the world, the friend of Christ, and the inheritor of heaven.

Link (here) to The Imitation of Christ chapter 3 entitled, Of The Good, Peaceable Man

Vigano The Jesuit And Vigano The Apostalic Nucio To The United States

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano

Lorenzo Viganò, a Jesuit biblical scholar, has declared in an interview that his brother "lied to Ratzinger when he asked to remain in Rome because he had to take care of me, sick". According to what has been written, to oppose the transfer to Washington, Carlo Maria Viganò allegedly wrote to Pope Ratzinger saying that he could not leave on account of the "necessary, dutiful and direct assistance" that engaged in towards his brother. Lorenzo, who lives in Chicago, says in the interview that he is fine, and has not spoken with his brother for two years, due to "tensions on account of our inheritance". And he says, "it is very serious that Carlo Maria has written falsely to the Pope, instrumentalizing me for personal ends".

Link (here) to Vatican Insider

New Jesuit President At Association Of Jesuit Colleges And Universities

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities announced yesterday that Rev. Michael J. Sheeran, the former president of Regis University, will become the group's new president. 

The organization represents the nation's 28 Jesuit colleges, Father Sheeran was president of Regis for 20 years and oversaw the development of the college's online programs. 

Father Gregory Lucey, the previous president of the group, will return to Spring Hill College as chancellor. Father Lucey served as president of Spring Hill before he became president of the Jesuit college group in 2011.

Link (here) to Catholic Education Daily

"I Cry Every Single Day,"

David Clohessy

David Clohessy said Pope Francis has to take up the issue of sexual abuse by priests and hold them accountable."Gestures, like taking the name Francis, or carrying your own luggage, or living in a small apartment, however encouraging they might be, we can't as responsible adults be so moved by these positive first impressions that we forget about the children who are being assaulted, right here and right now,"

Clohessy said. Recalling a friend who as a child had been sexually abused by a Jesuit priest in St. Louis (a school that Clohessy's father attended), he said, "I've talked to many who've gone to Jesuit schools and feel incredibly grateful about the education they got." Clohessy then added, "and yet their positive memories and their positive feelings towards their school are now completely polluted by the fact that they know that one or two or five other classmates were undergoing this horror while they were flourishing and learning and thriving and making lifelong bonds of friendship." 

 He tried to keep his composure as he answered, but his handkerchief could not hold back the tears. "I cry every single day," Clohessy said.

Link (here) to NPR

Jesuit At St. Beuno's, ".....And For Our Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict The, Uh, 16th, Lord Help Us.”

In April 2005 a group of Jesuits were celebrating mass at St. Beuno’s, an Ignatian spirituality center in Wales, literally while crowds at the Vatican were waiting to see who would be the new pope, up on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Of course, near the end of the Liturgy of the Word, the celebrant priest at St. Beuno’s would have to pray for the pope. But on this day, the celebrant didn’t know which pope he was going to pray for. So he had an assistant wait outside the chapel, watching the Vatican coverage live on TV. The assistant was planning to alert the priest, during the mass, of the new pope’s name, as soon as he appeared on the balcony. So, indeed, at some point early in the liturgy, the assistant tiptoed into the chapel with a little folded note bearing the name of the new pope. 

The celebrant stopped and opened the note. Then his face went pale, and he closed it. When he finally got to the intercessory prayers, he grumbled, “…and for our Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict the, uh, [looking down at the note] 16th, Lord help us.”

Like the new pope, Francis I, many Jesuits are “conservative”, as some Americans understand the term, on social and gender issues like contraception, abortion, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of women. But many Jesuits are liberal. Some are very liberal. One was sanctioned by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in  for saying mass with a Roman Catholic Womanpriest. 

Many Jesuits backed liberation theology, which led Pope John Paul II in 1982 to appoint a staunch conservative in charge of the order. All of this raises the question: what do Jesuits actually think about the new pope? Not what do they say — because publicly, few of them say anything but praise — but what is being whispered, at St. Beuno’s, behind monastery walls, in university corridors — anywhere the Jesuits have confidentiality? 

Well, why not ask one? Certainly, some Jesuit could give us a general idea. So, I called some media offices to try to get an interview with a Jesuit who would speak candidly about what his colleagues really think about Pope Francis. No takers. Why not? Well, a friend of mine had a theory: “if they do they lose their pension, housing, insurance… everything they vowed away at age 16 or so….” That may or may not be true. It could also be the case that no Jesuit is critical of the new pope.

Link (here) to Association of Catholic Priests

Gabriel Malagrida, S.J. "Strangled At An Auto-da-fé, And Burnt At The Stake"

A depiction of the execution of Fr. Gabriel Malagrida, S.J.

Pope Francis is the first Latin American pope. He is also the first jesuit to become pope. The Jesuits and Brazil have a long history which the jesuits have certainly not forgotten. During the 18th century, it was from Brazil that the jesuits were first expelled. The frontier between Brazil and what would later become Argentina was one of the key locations of the conflict which pitted the jesuits against the crowns of Portugal and Spain.

The Treaty of Madrid, of 1750, was the first negotiated settlement of the land frontiers in South America between the two Iberian powers. Portuguese claims to the inland frontier were upheld. In return they ceded to Spain the Colonia do Sacramento, on the northern bank of the rio de la Plata. The land of the seven jesuit missions, previously under the control of Spain, would become Portuguese. The treaty envisioned the evacuation of the Uruguayan jesuit missions and their Guarani neophytes, as well as over a million head of cattle, across the Uruguayan river. The Jesuits opposed this, and the jesuit missions took up arms. A joint Spanish and Portuguese military force was sent to defeat them. Pombal, who was the principal minister in Lisbon, and his brother, who was the governor of Para, were also in conflict with the jesuit missions in the Amazon. As with the Guarani in the south, in the Amazon Pombal intended to emancipate the Indians and to encourage their intermarriage with European settlers. This collided with the most basic philosophical tenet of the protectionist Indian policy of the jesuits. But Pombal was supported by the Brazilian colonists with whom the jesuits had long been in conflict over access to Indian labour. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 aggravated the situation. In 1758, a failed assassination of the king of Portugal provided Pombal with an excuse to crack down on aristocratic and jesuit opposition. 

The Jesuit Gabriel Malagrida was, in 1761, accused of complicity and was sentenced by the Inquisition. He was the last person to be burnt at the stake in Lisbon. Pombal sponsored a virulent public campaign throughout catholic Europe against the Jesuits. In 1773, pope Clement XIV, a Franciscan friar, suppressed the Jesuits.

When he died unexpectedly the following year it was rumoured that he had inadvertently taken poison disguised in his chocolate drink. Pope Francis knows this Jesuit history. As do the cardinals who elected him. They joked that the new pope should take the title of Clement XV. 

Link (here)

Pope Francis To Jesuits Worldwide, "Be Evangelical Leaven In The World"

Dear Father Nicolás,

I received with great joy the kind letter you sent me, in your name and that of the Society of Jesus, on the occasion of my election to the See of Peter, in which you assure me of your prayers for me and my apostolic ministry as well as your full disposition to continue serving - unconditionally - the Church and the Vicar of Christ according to the teachings of St. Ignatius Loyola.
My heartfelt thanks for this sign of affection and closeness, which I am happy to reciprocate, asking the Lord to illuminate and accompany all Jesuits, so that faithful to the charism received and following in the footsteps of the saints of our beloved Order, they may be evangelical leaven in the world in their pastoral action, but above all in the witness of a life totally dedicated to the service of the Church, the Spouse of Christ, seeking unceasingly the glory of God and the good of souls.
With these sentiments, I ask all Jesuits to pray for me and to entrust me to the loving protection of the Virgin Mary, our Mother in heaven, while as a sign of God's abundant graces, I give you the Apostolic Blessing with special affection, which I also extend to all those who cooperate with the Society of Jesus in her activities, those who benefit from her good deeds and participate in her spirituality.

Francis
Vatican, 16 March 2013
Link (here) to Vatican Radio

According To Canon 705 Pope Francis Is Still A Jesuit

Many local and national religious thinkers are debating on whether or not Pope Francis is still in the Jesuit order. Pope Francis has gathered much attention for being the first pope with a Jesuit background. However, a disagreement has emerged between Jesuits and other religious thinkers. Some are arguing that Pope Francis is still a Jesuit, while others say he is not in the order anymore. According to the Rev. Peter Rogers, S.J., associate professor of languages, Pope Francis is no longer subjected to the Jesuit order because he became a bishop and was not under a superior’s orders. “St. Ignatius, when he founded the Society of Jesus in the 16th century, had it in his rule that no Jesuit was to accept ecclesiastical dignities, so that meant Jesuits were not to become bishops, cardinals and such,” Rogers said.

The Rev. Stephen Rowntree, S.J., associate professor of philosophy, also supports the notion that Pope Francis is not in the Society of Jesus anymore.“He becomes a religious superior over his diocese and over his priests,” Rowntree said. “So, he is out of the chain of command of the Jesuits.”

National Catholic Reporter’s Thomas Reese, wrote in an article, titled “Is Pope Francis still a Jesuit,” that Pope Francis is still a Jesuit, according to canon law. According to Canon 705, a Jesuit can still be a Jesuit, even as a bishop, and does not have to follow a Jesuit superior when he becomes a bishop.

Link (here) to the Maroon.

Father Bergoglio Urged Them To Leave The Jesuit Order

Fr. Orlando Yorio, S.J.

Father Franz Jalics and Father Orlando Yorio were living among the poor in a Buenos Aires slum, an activity the dictatorship viewed as suspicious. They were kidnapped and held in a secret prison, blindfolded, and shackled hand and foot, for five months, before they were let go. 

Father Yorio in 1977 wrote a detailed account of the kidnapping, in which he questioned Father Bergoglio’s actions. He wrote that Father Bergoglio made negative reports about their activities to local bishops and claimed they were in the slums without his permission. He said Father Bergoglio urged them to leave the Jesuit order and then had them expelled from the order just days before the kidnapping. It was not possible to verify Father Yorio’s account, and experts in church procedures questioned whether the order’s rules would have allowed Father Bergoglio to expel a priest. Father Yorio’s sister, Graciela Yorio, said in an interview last week that Father Bergoglio had left the two priests “totally unprotected,” which she said made them an easier target for the military.

In his statement, Father Jalics said that false information had circulated in the church accusing the two priests of belonging to a guerrilla group fighting the government, but he did not link Father Bergoglio to that rumor campaign. “Before, I too tended to believe that we were the victims of having been reported,” Father Jalics said in the statement. “By the late ’90s, however, it became clear to me after many conversations that this assumption was unfounded.” 
Link (here) to the New York Times

My Jesuit Professor

As an undergraduate at Loyola University in Los Angeles (now Loyola-Marymount) in the 1950s, I took a course in classical Greek. I'll never forget one day when my Jesuit professor waxed eloquently about Socrates, comparing him to great Christian mystics like St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. There are good grounds for this view. In Plato's Symposium, we hear about Socrates' frequent "trances," in which he would stand, sometimes for twenty-four hours, rapt in contemplation, and then, when all was finished, return to normal life as if nothing had happened. Friends and acquaintances learned not to interrupt him during these events; he would simply not respond. Socrates also had a "voice" by his side from his earliest years. In Plato's Apology, the history of Socrates' trial for "corrupting the youth of Athens," Socrates revealed that he had always followed a voice he heard from childhood, which always gave warnings to keep him from evil. Aside from that limitation, it left him completely free to do as he willed. Socrates said that if there was anything evil awaiting him after death, he was certain his voice would warn him. So, asked to choose his punishment, and unwilling to leave his countrymen for exile, he chose execution. 

Link (here) to the Catholic Education Resource Center to read the full article by Marquette University Professor Howard Kainz

Abortion Advocates In Congress And Educated In Jesuit Universities And Colleges

Mike Quigley (IL-5) earned a law degree from the Loyola University School of Law. He also served as an adjunct professor of political science at Loyola University Chicago lecturing on politics, the environment and local government. Quigley referred to a bill that would have limited abortion to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy in Washington, D.C., as “especially cruel.”

Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) graduated from the University of Santa Clara School of Law in 1975. Ranked 100 percent by NARAL, Rep. Lofgren reportedly voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion.

Sam Farr (CA-20) graduated from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and attended the Monterey Institute of International Studies and the University of Santa Clara. Rep. Farr voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion.

Pete Visclosky (IN-1) earned a Juris Doctoris from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and a Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University Law Center. He also earned a 100 percent NARAL rating in 2011. He also, according to VoteSmart, voted against a bill that would have prohibited abortions based on the race or gender of the fetus and voted twice against the proposal to block Planned Parenthood from receiving any federal funds.

Steny Hoyer (MD-5) earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., in 1966. NARAL endorsed Rep. Hoyer in its 2012 Election Guide.

Chris Van Hollen (MD-8) is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. On the House floor, VanHollen said, “A woman’s right to choose her own healthcare is a fundamental one, and the Congress should not tell women how to manage their health or reproductive care.”

Ed Markey (MA-5) attended Boston College (B.A., 1968) and Boston College Law School (J.D., 1972). He reportedly voted against the partial-birth abortion ban.

Mike Capuano (MA-7) received a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College in 1973, and a law degree from Boston College Law School in 1977. He was endorsed in the NARAL Pro-Choice Voter Guide.

Stephen Lynch (MA-8) graduated from Boston College Law School in 1991. While Lynch states that he’s pro-life, he voted against banning federal health coverage that includes abortion, he voted for expanding embryonic stem cell research,and according to the National Right to Life Committee, Lynch voted against the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 3803) that would have restricted abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy in Washington, D.C. He received a 55 percent rating on a National Right to Life scorecard, according to On the Issues.

Bill Keating (MA-9) attended Boston College where he received his B.A. and Masters in Business Administration.  Rep. Keating earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice and earned the pro-abortion rights group’s endorsement in 2012.

Gary Peters (MI-14) earned an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Detroit Mercy. Rep. Peters earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice and was endorsed by the abortion advocacy group in 2012.

Hansen Clarke (MI-13) earned his law degree from Georgetown Law School. Rep. Clarke earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice.

John Dingell (MI-12) finished his military service in the fall of 1946 to attend Georgetown University where he studied chemistry. He continued his studies at Georgetown Law School, graduating in 1952. Rep. Dingell earned a 100-percentscore in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice.

Dingell was quoted saying, “I have voted to protect a woman's right to choose under Roe v. Wade and will continue to fight to uphold this constitutionally protected right.”

Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ-9) earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y.  Rep. Pascrell has reportedly received 100 percent ratings from NARAL Pro-Choice America since 2006.

Albio Sires (NJ-8) received a four-year basketball scholarship from St. Peter’s College.  Rep. Sires earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice.

Tim Bishop (NY-1) holds a BA in History from Holy Cross College in Worcester.  Rep. Bishop earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice.

Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) is a graduate of Columbia University and Fordham Law School.  Rep. Nadler earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice.

Bill Owens (NY-21) is a 1974 graduate of Fordham University School of Law. Rep.Owens earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice. He reportedly voted against the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act which would ban aborting children based on their sex.

David Cicilline (RI-1) earned a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. Rep. Cicilline earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice.

Peter Welch (VT) graduated magna cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross in 1969. Rep.Welch earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice. He voted against banning sex-selective abortions.

Bobby Scott (VA-3) is a graduate of Boston College Law School. Rep. Scott earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice.

Jim Moran (VA-8) attended the College of the Holy Cross and was awarded a B.A.in economics in1967. Rep. Moran earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice. Jim Moran wrote just last year on the ProChoice Virginia website, “I will continue to strongly advocate for abortion rights for women. This is an issue of great personal conscience that should be free of government interference. The Supreme Court has proclaimed its legality; the rest should be left to a woman, her family and her physician.”

Adam Smith (WA-9) graduated from Fordham University in 1987 with a degree in Political Science. Rep. Smith earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice and won Planned Parenthood’s endorsement in 2012.

Gwen Moore (WI-4) earned a B.A. in Political Science from Marquette University. Rep. Moore earned a 100-percent score in NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2011 Congressional Record on Choice. Planned Parenthood endorsed Gwen Moore in the 2010 general election.

The incoming freshman in the 113^th session of Congress:

Jared Huffman (CA-2) graduated cum laude from Boston College Law School in 1990.As a state representative, Huffman earned a 100-percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice California in 2009. According to his campaign website, “Jared is firmly pro-choice and has a long track record of fighting for women’s rights.”

Juan Vargas (CA-51) graduated magna cum laude with a BA from the University of San Diego and earned an MA in Humanities from Fordham University in New York.After college, Vargas, according to his website, joined the Jesuit Novitiate (introduction) in Santa Barbara. After leaving the Jesuits, he decided on law school and graduated in 1991 with a JD from Harvard Law School, making him a classmate of President Barack Obama. As a state senator, Vargas earned a 100-percent score from NARAL Pro-Choice California from 2003 to 2006.        

 

Lois Frankel (Fl-22) earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1973. NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC endorsed Frankel. Frankel also touted the endorsement of Planned Parenthood on her own campaign website.

John Delaney (MD-6) is a graduate of Georgetown University Law School. NARAL described Delaney as “pro-choice” on their website. According to OntheIssues.com, Delaney voted for public funding of abortion.

Ann Mclane Kuster (NH-2) graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984. She was endorsed by EMILY's List in 2012. Kuster, according to a New Hampshire local news outlet, “strongly supports a woman's right to choose.  She has been endorsed over her opponents in this campaign by every major pro-choice organization.”

Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) Jeffries holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.  NARAL describes him as “pro-choice.”

Link (here) to The Cardinal Newman Society

                   

Pope Francis, S.J., "You Are Not Fake Christians"

.....receive the strength of the Spirit of God: believe in the power of the Spirit! It is the Spirit of Jesus. Believe in Jesus who sends you this Spirit – to you and all of us: He sends the Spirit to renew everything. You are not fake Christians, Christians only in name. You are Christians with your words, with your hearts, with your hands. Feel like Christians, talk like Christians and do the work of Christians. But you alone could not do it. It is Jesus who will give you this Spirit, will give you the strength to renew everything: not you, but Him in you. And with this thought of Jesus who is the only salvation, the only one who brings us grace, who gives us peace, brotherhood, who gives us salvation,

Link (here) to the full homily by His Eminence Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, during the Holy Mass in which he administered the Sacrament of Confirmation Rome, 18 February 2012, Basilica of St Lawrence Outside the Walls

The Old-School Argentine Jesuit Is Now Benedict’s Successor

When Pope Francis stepped out onto the central loggia of St. Peter’s on the night of March 13, I thought of the man I had met in his Buenos Aires office 10 months before: 

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, who was looking forward to laying down the burden of leadership and devoting himself to prayer, reflection and study. Now, because Benedict XVI decided to renounce the Chair of Peter and do what Cardinal Bergoglio wanted to do, the old-school Argentine Jesuit is now Benedict’s successor. 

His acceptance of the cross that is the papacy was an act of humble obedience by a man who had bent his will to the divine will for over a half-century. What kind of man is he? Some impressions from an hour’s conversation last May:

A man of God. The new pope struck me then as someone who lived from the inside out: a man whose rich interior life was the basis of his public life; a leader whose decisions grew from prayer and discernment, not calculation.

A man of profound humility. I had long been interested in getting to know then-Cardinal Bergoglio, but I had the hardest time getting him to talk about his own life and experiences. I didn’t detect shyness in this, or false modesty, but a true evangelical humility. Pope Francis will not have the effervescence of a John Paul II; but like the Polish pope who created him cardinal, Jorge Bergoglio has spent his life saying, not “Look at me,” but rather, “Look to Jesus Christ.”

A man of keen and realistic intelligence. Pope Francis is not the university professor that John Paul II and Benedict XVI had been in their pre-papal lives. And while that model of preparing-for-the-papacy served the Church well for 35 years, it’s not the only possible model. 

Now, rather than a professor who learned how to be a pastor, the Church has been given a pastor who has long experience of being a pastor. Nonetheless, I was struck last May by Bergoglio’s sharp mind, his familiarity with issues throughout the world Church, and his prudence in judging people and situations. He was, for example, completely realistic and lucid about the Church’s situation in Latin America. 

Rather than complaining about evangelical Protestant “sheep-rustling,” as more than a few Latin American churchmen do, the archbishop spoke with insight and conviction about the imperative of Catholicism rediscovering the power of the Gospel through personal conversion to Jesus Christ.

Link (here) to the full article by George Weigel

Cardinal, "Maybe It Will Take A Jesuit To Fix The Jesuits!"

I asked John Allen, Jr., America’s most authoritative vaticanista, what more he could tell us about Francis’ thinking and scholarly capacity, especially since the new Holy Father has published comparatively little, apparently preferring to spend time on the street with the poor and suffering than theorizing about how to best serve them.

“My read is that being a man of the people and being a thinker are not mutually exclusive,” Allen said. Allen thinks that because Francis is a Jesuit—an order that requires its aspiring priests to study twice as long as diocesan priests—his intelligence will be on bright display as pope: “Whatever else you want to say about Jesuits, they’re typically not dim bulbs!”

John Allen, "He tried to hold the line against liberation theology"

We have already heard several clever quips from the new pope. He told journalists at his first press conference that he considered taking the name Clement XV, to avenge himself on Clement XIV, who suppressed the Jesuit order in 1773. After alluding to a book by German Cardinal Walter Kasper during his first Angelus address, he added, “Don’t think that I’m publicizing the books of my cardinals, that is not the case!” John Allen says that, theologically speaking, Francis “profiles as the typical bishop from the developing world…very conservative on matters of sexual morality, fairly progressive on economic justice, armed conflict, [and] the environment.” 

Under his episcopal leadership in Buenos Aires, as provincial of his order, and as a two-term president of the Argentinean Bishops Conference, Francis was known to oppose fiercely not only dissenting intellectuals and political leaders, but also his fellow clerics.“As far as the Jesuits go, he tried to hold the line against liberation theology in the 1970s, insisting that his priests should be pastors and spiritual guides, not politicians,” Allen said. “It made him unpopular in the order. Actually, one cardinal said to me after the conclave: ‘Maybe it will take a Jesuit to fix the Jesuits!’” 

Link (here) to The Catholic World Report

"Called Him To The Religious Life, Following The Example Of St. Ignatius Of Loyola

Why is Pope Francis so simple, so genuine, so evidently filled with the love of Christ? Part of the answer may be… because God filled him with His love. 

Part of the answer may lie in what seems to have been a sort of mystical experience which occurred to Francis on September 21, 1953, when he was 17 years old. We found out about this experience only today, in an official Vatican press release. But is has been almost entirely overlooked by the Vatican press corps.

One of the central claims of the Catholic faith is not only that God exists, that He is real, but also that He can communicate with human beings, that human beings can be “pierced” by the actual sense of the divine presence, can experience and be aware of this real presence, can — as the very first verse of the old Baltimore Catechism taught — “know” God, then “love and serve Him.” Today in Rome, the Vatican released a statement about the new Pope’s coat-of-arms. But hidden in the statement was something that few knew up until now: that there was a mystical experience at the origin of this Pope’s religious life. That this Pope, at the age of 17, while deep in prayer, was touched by God. That this Pope, at the age of 17, was filled with the Spirit of God, in a very special way, and given the grace to begin a life of total commitment to God, which has ended up bringing his to the throne of St. Peter, which he will receive in tomorrow morning’s Mass of installation. We know that many young people (all young people?) pass through a period of time when they seek with great intensity to know their place in this world — to hear their calling, to find their true vocation. And now we know that Pope Francis passed through this process of discernment, too. The homily of the Venerable Bede on the calling of St. Matthew “is a tribute to the divine mercy and is reproduced in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Feast of St. Matthew,” the Vatican told us today in a press release. This homily “has a particular meaning in life and the spiritual journey of the Pope,” the Vatican said. 

“In fact,” the Vatican continued, “on the Feast of St. Matthew [September 21] in the year 1953, the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio experienced at the age of 17 years, in a very special way, the loving presence of God in his life. 'Following a confession, he felt his heart touched and sensed the descent of the mercy of God, who with a look of tender love, called him to the religious life, following the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola.'” 

In these few, spare words, we are told of an experience which transformed the life of young Jorge. He felt his heart “touched” and he “sensed” the “descent of the mercy of God.” He felt, “in a very special way,” the “loving presence of God in his life.” He felt, we are told, as if God were gazing upon him, “with a look of tender love.” These are all the elements of a personal experience of Christ.

Undoer Of Knots

An Argentinian silversmith, Juan Carlos Pallarols, is handcrafting a simple silver chalice for Pope Francis, which will be embossed with two images of the Blessed Mother:

Our Lady of Lujan, an Argentinian image of the Immaculate Conception, associated with a 17th century miracle, and Our Lady Undoer of Knots, a German devotion which Cardinal Bergoglio brought to Argentina in the 1980′s and has since promoted there.  

The same silversmith collaborated with Cardinal Bergoglio in designing another chalice, embossed with the image of Our Lady Undoer of Knots, which the Cardinal presented to Pope Benedict shortly after he ascended to the Chair of St. Peter.

Link (here) to Mary Victrix

Superior General Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, S.J., "There Was Full Commonality Of Feeling On Several Issues That We Discussed"

At the personal invitation of the Pope Francis, I went to the Santa Marta House, which had been used for the Cardinals present at the Conclave, at 5:30 p.m. He was at the entrance and received me with the usual Jesuit embrace. We had a few pictures taken, at his request, and at my apologies for not keeping protocol he insisted that I treat him like any other Jesuit at the Tulevel, so I did not have to worry about treatments, 'Holiness' or 'Holy Father.'

I offered him all our Jesuit resources because in his new position he is going to need counsel, thinking, persons, etc. He showed gratitude for this and at the invitation to visit us for lunch at the Curia he said he would oblige. There was full commonality of feeling on several issues that we discussed and I remained with the conviction that we will work very well together for the service of the Church in the name of the Gospel. 

There was calm, humor and mutual understanding about past, present and future. I left the place with the conviction that it will be worth cooperating fully with Him in the Vineyard of the Lord. At the end he helped me with my coat and accompanied me to the door. That added a couple of salutes to me from the Swiss Guards there. A Jesuit embrace, again, is a good way to meet and send off a friend.”

Link (here) to The Deacon's Bench

Pope Francis, "Pitting Rich Against Poor, You Are Unfaithful To The Gospel"

Jesuit Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa told Canadians last week that while the new pope is all about ‘social justice’, it may not be the flavor of social justice that people associate with Latin America.Prendergast said that former Cardinal Bergoglio, as the Argentinean Provincial at that time, took a “very strong stance that the Jesuits should stay out of political issues and certainly not take up the liberationist theology.”

Liberation theology, which uncritically borrows various currents of Marxist thought, narrowly interprets the teachings of Jesus as they relate to liberation from unjust conditions that may be economic, political, or social.

In 1984, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), condemned liberation theology as a “novel interpretation of both the content of faith and of Christian existence which seriously departs from the faith of the Church and, in fact, actually constitutes a practical negation.”

Archbishop Prendergast said that at the time, Cardinal Bergoglio was criticized by his brother Jesuits for standing with the Church. “He was criticized by his brothers for that, but nonetheless his stance was that — similar to Pope Benedict’s — Marxism goes beyond what the social justice of the Church should embrace,” said the Archbishop during an interview with CFRA 580 NewsTalkRadio.

Former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio wrote in his 2011 book Sobre el cielo y la tierra (On heaven and earth) that the Church is as opposed to economic liberalism (economic decisions are made by individuals, not by collective institutions or organizations) as it is to communism (an atheistic system that abolishes private property to create a classless social order). 

“When you pick up a volume of the social teaching of the Church you are amazed at what it condemns. For example, it condemns economic liberalism. Everyone thinks that the Church is against Communism, but it is as opposed to that system as it is to the savage economic liberalism which exists today. That is not Christian either and we cannot accept it.” “We have to search for equality of opportunities and rights, to fight for social benefits, a dignified retirement, holidays, rest, freedom for trade unions. All of these issues create social justice. There should be no have-nots and I want to emphasize that the worst wretchedness is not to be able to earn your bread, not to have the dignity of work,” he wrote.

 Reflecting on why then Cardinal Bergoglio would take such a stand, Archbishop Prendergast said that it is one thing to “create an interest in the poor and serve their cause” but that it is quite another thing to “cause divisions in society” by “pitting rich against poor”. “If you cause divisions in society pitting rich against poor, you are unfaithful to the Gospel because the Gospel calls us to be reconciled, rich and poor, male and female, slave and free, are all to be one in Christ. That’s the Church’s teaching,” he said.

Fr. James Keenan, S.J., "Trying To Learn What I Can Understand"

My thoughts on the election of Pope Francis? Absolutely stunned. I only knew of the cardinal as the "other contender" in the previous conclave.  What do I think now? 

I am simply watching him and trying to learn what I can understand. I watched him give his sermon in Italian to the cardinals Thursday in the Sistine Chapel. I understood him to say that nothing we do means anything if we don't do it as a disciple of Christ, in the name of Christ crucified. I resonated there with his Jesuit vocation. 

What we Jesuits share is the experience from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius that we are each personally called to follow Christ. The summons he received through the Exercises, he was reminding his brother bishops, is the fundamental call for each of us.

Link (here) to The Fish Wrap to read the full article on Fr. James Keenan, S.J.

The Eucharist and Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. watch the video interview with Doug Keck (here)

Fr. Franz Jalics, S.J., “I Wish Pope Francis God’s Blessings For His Office.”

Fr. Ferenc Jálics, S.J. and Holy Father Francis

Father Franz Jalics, a Hungarian-born priest living at a retreat in Bavaria, southern Germany, said that he met Jorge Bergoglio years after his detention and the pair “hugged solemnly” after celebrating Mass together in Argentina. Father Jalics said that he was arrested initially because one of his lay helpers in a poor slum in Buenos Aires had joined the opposition guerrillas, putting him and fellow priest, the late Father Orlando Yorio, under suspicion. Father Jalics added that, after five days, one of his interrogators said that he would be released, only for the two priests to be inexplicably kept handcuffed and blindfolded in custody for five months. “I cannot make a statement on the role in these events of P. Bergoglio,” Father Jalics said in his statement. His reluctance to give more details on his view of Cardinal Bergoglio’s role in the events of 1976 is likely to fuel suspicions in the light of a document discovered by the investigative journalist Horacio Verbitsky and included in his book The Silence. Signed by a regime official, Anselmo Orcoyen, it suggests that Cardinal Bergoglio was the source of information to the regime on Father Jalics. The typewritten memo from December 1976 listed information on Father Jalics, including “conflicts of obedience”, details of his six-month detention over “suspected guerrilla contacts” and the priest’s refusal of orders to leave the community in which he worked. The memo states that the information “was supplied... by Father Bergoglio”.

Mr Verbitsky also quoted a letter written by Father Yorio in Rome in November 1977, in which the priest suggested that Card. Bergoglio was the man who had denounced them. In his statement, Father Jalics said: “In 1974, moved by the inner desire to live the gospel and raise awareness about the terrible poverty, and with the permission of Archbishop Aramburu and the then Provincial Fr Jorge Mario Bergoglio, I entered with a colleague into a favela [slum]. “We had no contact with the junta or the guerrillas… but we lost touch with one of our lay collaborators, who joined the guerrillas.

“After nine months he was captured by the soldiers of the junta and interrogated, and they found out that he was with us. On the assumption that we were dealing with the guerrillas, we were arrested. “After a five-day interrogation, the officer in charge spoke these words: ‘Fathers, you have no guilt. I will therefore arrange that you can go back to the slums.’ “Despite this commitment, we were then for some inexplicable reason kept in custody for five months, blindfolded and handcuffed. I cannot make a statement on the role in these events of P. Bergoglio.” Father Jalics then added that he was able to speak about these events many years later when Father Bergoglio was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, without giving details of their discussion. He ended his statement by declaring: “I wish Pope Francis God’s blessings for his office.”

The Vatican on Friday rejected as “defamatory” claims that Pope Francis did not do enough in his past to save two priests kidnapped and tortured by the Argentinian military junta. “There has never been a credible, concrete accusation against him. The Argentinian justice system... has never charged him with anything,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said. 

Link (here) to The Times

Many Jesuits....To This Day Speak Of Him Warily

Argentine Jesuits in an undated photo with Holy Father Francis at the lower left corner  (source)

In a 2005 profile of Cardinal Bergoglio, Jose Maria Poirier, editor of the Argentinean Catholic magazine Criterio, wrote, “He exercised his authority as Jesuit provincial with an iron fist, calmly demanding strict obedience and clamping down on critical voices. Many Jesuits complained that he considered himself the sole interpreter of St Ignatius of Loyola, and to this day speak of him warily.”

Link (here) to Fr. Z

“Marxist Analysis” And Liberation Theology

Father Bergoglio, like Pope John Paul II, had serious reservations about liberation theology, which was embraced by many other Latin American Jesuits. As a North American I have trouble understanding these disputes since John Paul and Bergoglio obviously wanted justice for the poor while the liberation theologians were not in favor of violent revolution as their detractors claimed. But clearly this was an issue that divided the church in Latin America.

Part of the problem was the use of the term “Marxist analysis” by some liberation theologians, when they sought to show how the wealthy used their economic and political power to keep the masses down. The word “Marxist,” of course, drove John Paul crazy. Meanwhile, the Latin American establishment labeled as Communist anyone who wanted economic justice and political power for workers. Even many decent but cautious people feared that strikes and demonstrations would lead to violence. What is “prudent” can divide people of good will.

There were also disagreements about how to respond to the military junta in Argentina. As provincial, Father Bergoglio was responsible for the safety of his men. He feared that Orlando Yorio, S.J., and Franz Jalics, S.J., were at risk and wanted to pull them out of their ministry. They, naturally, did not want to leave their work with the poor.

Link (here) to The Fishwrap to read the full opinion piece by Fr. Thomas Reese, S.J.

Fr. Giovanni La Manna, S.J., "This Choice Moves The Entire Thread Of Our History"

"This choice moves the entire thread of our history," said Jesuit priest Giovanni La Manna, who heads the Astalli Foundation in Rome, a Catholic nongovernmental organization for refugee rights. "If the Lord has called the only Jesuit cardinal to become pope there must be a reason, and I'm sure we'll understand later why." Perhaps it was just a matter of time before a Jesuit was selected, as the Vatican itself is located near a 16th century fresco in the center nave of the Church of Jesus in Rome where lie the remains of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the revered founder of the Society of Jesus. 

In his day, St. Ignatius was called on by Pope Paul III to help reform a broken church that was combating corruption and a waning influence. Experts believe that, last week, another Jesuit was elected in a conclave to shepherd the Catholic Church out of a crisis of credibility -- but, this time, directly as pope. The announcement left many Jesuits dumbfounded as they heard the name of their only cardinal elector being spelled out in Latin from the balcony on the night that white smoke wafted over St. Peter's Square. 

"It's just such incredible news because Jesuits don't expect to become bishops, let alone the pope," said Fr. Gerard Whelan, Jesuit professor at the Gregorian University in Rome. Indeed, popes have punished Jesuit theologians for being too progressive in preaching and teaching. The just-retired Benedict XVI, sent a polite but firm letter inviting the order's worldwide members to pledge "total adhesion" to church doctrine, including on divorce, homosexuality and liberation theology. The order, which now comprises about 19,000 men worldwide, was founded by seven men who bonded together as they took their first vows of chastity and poverty in Paris in 1534.

Link (here) to Newsday

Wet Willie At St. Joseph's Prep

Wet Willie

I guess the first thing to say is my kid would be in huuuuuuuuge trouble for doing this. But it's still kinda' awesome. Right after the election of the pope, NBC 10 in Philly wanted to interview a Jesuit so they set up an interview with the Jesuit president of St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia. The president of the school lined up a bunch of students around him for the interview. Big mistake. One of the kids gives possibly one of the greatest wet willies to another kid RIGHT ON CAMERA. It's completely inappropriate and kinda' awesome. I know it's the eight year old in me but it's pretty funny. There's talk that the kid might get suspended. Here's the thing - I don't see these two things as mutually exclusive. Yes it's awesome but that doesn't mean the kid shouldn't be punished. In life you make tradeoffs. It's for the kid to decide whether it was worth it. This is one of those things that you punish them for and then when nobody can see you, you just laugh. Just a little.

Link (here) to watch the video at Creative Minority Report

St. Francis Of Assisi Or St. Francis Xavier

Our new Holy Father took the name Francis at his own peril. A potential schism in the Church erupted when two women argued this AM about whether he meant St. Francis of Assisi or St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit. They settled that either one or both was fine. And this at my parish of St. Francis of Assisi! Wheewww! I have another candidate for a Jesuit role model. The late Bishop John R. Sheets, SJ was one of the founders of the Jesuit publication Communio. 

This links to his 1974 article: http://www.communio-icr.com/articles/comandcont.html

He also taught Theology at Marquette as a young priest in the 1950's where my wife was in his first Theology class (He gave her a "D" on a critical paper!) .He taught with such fervor and love for Jesus, beads of sweat would run from his forehead. We were married in 1960 and our Father John remained a close friend and mentor on camping trips, playing with the kids and taking him to retreats he was conducting in California. He officiated at my daughter's wedding. He asked my wife and I to lay hands on him and pray to the Holy Spirit for him. It was surely the most humbling experience of my life! I recalled the event when Pope Francis asked the people to pray for him before imparting his blessing.

I add this background, because when Fr. John was at Marquette, he was one of only two faculty members who refused to sign a petition against Pope Paul VI's "Humanae Vitae." Pope John Paul the Great ordained him a bishop and sent him to Notre Dame to try to stem her tide to secularism. He was much loved in his tenure there, but probably had a greater affect in some way helping launch the Franciscan University at Steubenville. (Was this the precursor to this latest communion between the Jesuits and the Franciscans?)

It is my sincere and prayerful hope that the late and saintly Bishop Sheets will be a model for the restoration of the Church, and the order through which Father Raymond Gawronski who also taught at Marquette more recently and contributes to Communio and other publications. He and other Jesuits serve God and the Church at a great intellectual level. Francis Cardinal George referred to Bishop Sheets as his mentor when they were at Creighton University. It can't get any better than that!

As for social justice and liberation theology, I'm sure Pope Francis' predecessor's encyclical "Caritas in veritate" will be a good model, especially in #58 where he teaches that the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity must be applied in unison. Cardinal Dolan and Congressman Paul Ryan are keen adherents to these principles.

Thank you Lord, for our wonderful new Pope! Let us be the salt of the earth with him.

Gerald V. Todd 

Link (here)

Fr. Thomas Smolich, S.J., "We Are Called To Encounter Christ In The People We Meet."

Fr. Thomas Smolich, S.J.

Strict adherence to doctrine is not typically a focus of Jesuits, and Jesuit institutions are magnets for Catholics who disagree openly with church orthodoxy on issues such as celibacy or female priests. But neither do Jesuits tend to rally publicly against church teaching. Politically speaking, Francis is an atypical Jesuit. As a cardinal in Argentina, he led a public fight against same-sex marriage — reportedly after failing to broker a deal supporting civil unions — and has said that gay adoption is a form of discrimination against children. There are no data on whether the typical Jesuit disagrees with the new pope (and official church teaching) on matters such as gay marriage. But questioning a Jesuit on hot-button sexual topics usually elicits a nonjudgmental response. “We are called to encounter Christ in the people we meet. The typical Jesuit starting point is the experience of people,” Fr. Thomas Smolich, S.J. said. “Out of that, we might be more nuanced or more sensitive or more compassionate, in terms of how various church teachings are experienced by people in the pews.”

Link (here) to The Washington Post

In All Things

Now, for the first time in the church’s history, a Jesuit has been elected pontiff. Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentine of Italian origin, has already set a new tone for the papacy. He is the first to take the name Francis, in homage to Francis of Assisi, who abandoned comfort to join beggars. In keeping with the Jesuit ideal to live simply, Francis in his first days as pope dressed in a plain white cassock. He opted to ride in a minibus with his fellow cardinals rather than a private Vatican car. And on Saturday, he suggested a humble course for the church as a whole. “How I would like a poor church,” he said, one that was “for the poor.” Given the Jesuits’ watchword to find God “in all things,” some are hoping that the leadership of a Jesuit pope will allow the church to engage more openly and fearlessly with the world, to project the church’s message in new ways and to emphasize service

Link (here) to The New York Times

I Was Not Alone: I Was Praying In The Middle Of The People Of God

In a tribute to Pope John Paul II written after the Pontiff’s death in 2005, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires recounted how the Pope’s example inspired him to “recite the 15 mysteries of the Rosary every day.”

“If I remember well it was 1985,” Cardinal Bergoglio wrote. “One evening I went to recite the Holy Rosary that was being led by the Holy Father. He was in front of everybody, on his knees. The group was numerous; I saw the Holy Father from the back and, little by little, I got lost in prayer. I was not alone: I was praying in the middle of the people of God to which I and all those there belonged, led by our Pastor.”

“In the middle of the prayer I became distracted, looking at the figure of the Pope: his pity, his devotion was a witness,” he continued. “And the time drifted away, and I began to imagine the young priest, the seminarian, the poet, the worker, the child from Wadowice… in the same position in which knelt at that moment, reciting Ave Maria after Ave Maria. His witness struck me.”

Cardinal Bergoglio added, in words translated by 30 Days magazine:

I felt that this man, chosen to lead the Church, was following a path up to his Mother in the sky, a path set out on from his childhood. And I became aware of the density of the words of the Mother of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego: “Don’t be afraid, am I not perhaps your mother?” I understood the presence of Mary in the life of the Pope.

That testimony did not get forgotten in an instant. From that time on I recite the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary every day.

Link (here) to Catholic Culture