Jabulani (a Zulu word - meaning to celebrate)

Jabulani (a Zulu word - meaning to celebrate)

Thursday 14 March 2013

new Pope

Yesterday, with white smoke billowing out of the Sistene Chapel's chimney and bells ringing, the Catholic Church appointed and announced its first South American leader... choosing a conservative with "great compassion": Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. He will be known as Pope Francis I. Known for his humility, Francis is the son of a railway worker and one of five siblings. Francis has only one lung, the other having been removed due to an infection when he was a teenager. He has a chemistry degree. Jorge Mario Bergoglio's decision to become the first Pope Francis is a reflection of his background and hopefully is indicative of how he will lead the Roman Catholic Church. The new pope has named himself Francis after St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century reformer who lived in poverty. It's the first time the name has ever been chosen and perhaps there is a symbolism there - St Francis committed himself to a life of poverty and is seen as one of Catholicism's reforming figures. As a Jesuit, the name could be a reference to Francis Xavier, a co-founder of the Jesuits in the 16th century, and an effort to emphasis the order's creed of humility and evangelism. Either way, his choice of name reflects the belief that the church needs to show humility after years of scandal, without veering from its conservative doctrine. Over the years, Bergoglio has been praised for his humility and his reluctancy to accept honors or hold high office... for example, he commuted to work on a bus, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina’s capital. He considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church and I have to admit, I was touched by the stories I've read of him washing the feet of Aids patients and living humbly among the poor in Buenos Aires. Bergoglio’s legacy as cardinal includes his efforts to repair the reputation of a church that lost many followers by failing to openly challenge Argentina’s murderous 1976-83 dictatorship. He also worked to recover the church’s traditional political influence in society, but his outspoken criticism of President Cristina Kirchner couldn’t stop her from imposing socially liberal measures that are anathema to the church, from gay marriage and adoption to free contraceptives for all. The general picture emerging of the new pope is of a man who doctrinally is conservative - taking traditional positions on issues of morality - but a social progressive who seems to care deeply about the poor. Pope Francis, ex-Cardinal Bergoglio, who speaks Spanish, Italian and German, has been a voice in defense of the poor during Argentina's economic collapse a decade ago... he is an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernized Argentina’s conservative Catholic church, particularly criticizing his fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes... Now if only this simple and holy man, who's been an exemplary Christian, could show some humility to (Catholic) homosexuals and the issues around gay marriage globally... Let's hope...
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