What did you think of the white smoke? Or, as someone called it the “Holy Smoke”? I must admit I found the overwhelming media coverage of the last few days just too much. As you know from an inference in a previous blog, I am cynical when it comes to an institution that only allows a cavalcade of old men make such a major decision. The secrecy, the ritual, the costumes, and only men involved, all seem so out of date for 2013!!!!!
Now that I have that little rant out of my system, I, like everyone else, shall wait and watch to see how this Jesuit priest makes his mark in what seems like an impossible job. It would appear that he comes with a background that grounds him well for the ministry. He lived simply. He stood up against the political system. He served the poor. He rode his bike and took public transit. He shunned the palatial housing for a Cardinal and lived instead in a simple apartment. Pope Francis, when Cardinal, worked in a Soup Kitchen and visited the poor. But he is also a conservative Catholic. He stands against same sex marriage as well as contraception. This is, of course the position of the Catholic Church nontheless it is hard to connect these attitudes with the world in which we live.
The trait most often referred to when Pope Francis is referred to is his humility. Humility is a virtue that is not espoused in our culture where advertising promotes the best, the biggest, and the brightest – values most of us buy into. How will this humble man from Argentina maintain an attitude of humility living in Vatican City? Surrounded by the opulence of The Vatican will he be able to hold onto the value of the simple life? Time will tell.
