Habemus....

[poliphilo]

So many firsts. First man from the Southern Hemisphere, first American, first Jesuit, first Francis.

I love the choice of name. Not only because Francis is one of the few post-Biblical Catholic saints non-Catholics know about and like but also because it shows a willingness to ignore precedent.

Otherwise he's a Prince of the Church who has chosen to live like a poor man (good) and a man of power who seems to have accommodated himself to a right-wing terror regime (not so good).

I watched the news come in on Channel 4. Jon Snow and his team were caught on the hop. They hadn't prepared for this eventuality. Someone had left a mic on and you could hear excited back room chatter. "Who?" "Mutter, mutter" "Wait. I've got it!"

Comments

Re: Venables

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We'll see....

[zoe-1418.livejournal.com]

"We'll see" does seem to be the most appropriate thing to say right now!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Perhaps he'll detoxify the brand- and, then again, perhaps he won't....

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

At least the name wasn't, it seems taken, for Xavier.

Imagine the reaction to chosing that particular Counter Reformation nasty!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It hadn't even occurred to me it might have been someone other than Francis of Assisi.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

I can count on the fingers of one hand the princes of any church on the continent who openly defied You Know Who in the late 1930s...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'd have defied him either. Not openly, certainly.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Although if Deitrich Bonhoeffer can be counted as a Prince of the church...........

Certainly can in my book!

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

Aahhh... Bonhoeffer.... :-)

Although, you do know, he was a Lutheran.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Well aware of the fact! :o)

There are princes(and princesses) other places that amongst the Church of Rome y'know!

Isaac Pennington, anyone?