Thursday, March 14, 2013

Stunned

While the selection of a new pope from Latin America was surprising, some found it even more unexpected that the cardinals tapped a Jesuit as the leader of their church. In fact, 
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio will be the first Jesuit to lead the Roman Catholic Church in its 2,000-year history. Founded in 1540 by the Spaniard St. Ignatius Loyola, the Society of Jesus — as the Jesuits are formally known — eschews higher church positions, instead encouraging members to keep a lower profile, said the Rev. Michael Garanzini, president of Loyola University Chicago and a Jesuit priest. Garanzini said he was stunned when Bergoglio, who took the name Pope Francis, was selected Wednesday.  
"It is surprising to us because we normally don't want to be in church hierarchical positions," Garanzini said in an interview Wednesday. "We usually ask if we can turn them down."
Link (here) to The Chicago Tribune

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