UNITED STATES
dotCommonweal
March 13, 2013
Posted by J. Peter Nixon
Why Bergoglio? Obviously I wasn’t in the conclave or even in Rome, but if I had to sum it up in a sentence I’d say he’s a Latin American Sean O’Malley.
Much of the boomlet for O’Malley over the last couple of weeks focused on his simplicity, commitment to the poor and personal holiness. His administrative chops and seriousness on the issue of clerical sexual abuse were a clear asset, but without the former elements he wouldn’t have been as compelling a candidate.
As many others have observed, Bergoglio has similar qualities. He famously urged those interested in coming to his installation as archbishop to stay home and give the money to the poor. Rather than live in the archbishop’s mansion, he chose to live in an apartment and apparently takes public transit to work (I wonder if he realizes yet that he will never do so again). It is also reported that when he was made a cardinal, he chose to alter his predecessor’s robes rather than paying for new ones. His choice of “Francis” as a name is, to put it mildly, extremely bold and suggests a strong identification with the poor.
In the runup to the conclave, many cardinals appeared to understand that the Church’s witness is the most powerful and compelling when it is voiced from a place of simplicity and humility. It is then that the Church best conveys the simplicity and humility of Christ himself. Francis’ decision to ask the crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square to bless him before he blessed them was a powerful symbol in that regard.
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