UNITED STATES
Verdict

Marcia A. Hamilton

The new Roman Catholic Pope, formerly Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, chose the name Francis. It is the first time a Pope has chosen that name, and it is instructive to examine the Francis he intended. For many in the survivors’ movement, there is an understandable yearning that it is St. Francis of Assisi, but that seems unlikely to me. Pope Francis is a proud Jesuit, is known as a gifted evangelizer, and is the first Pope from outside of Europe, all of which would make it far more likely that he is choosing the name and path of the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier.

Xavier was known for his extraordinary travels in the 16th Century to multiple countries, and for his proselytizing. Here is how the Catholic Encyclopedia summarizes his accomplishments:

It is truly a matter of wonder that…