Pope of Rome to Step Down

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by WCsweet<3

Maybe after St. Francis Xavier?

Originally Posted by dekeguy

Te Deum Laudamus! A Jesuit who has taken his regnal name from St. Francis Xavier, arguably one of the greatest Jesuit Saints, known as the Apostle to the East!

Originally Posted by ADPiEE

Maybe is name is after St. Francis Assisi because of his love for the poor?

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Yeah, I'm seeing reports that it's for St. Francis of Assisi too, but I can't help but wonder if they're just assuming like I did.

Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul

I'm on team Asisi too...

Well, to add to the mix, apparently St. Francis Solano, a Franciscan who was educated by Jesuits and a missionary to South America and is known as the Wonder Worker of the New World, is patron saint of Argentina (and Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru). That had to have factored in.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the Francis is for all three St. Francises. Maybe St. Francis de Sales too?

[SWTXBelle]

"Pope Francis chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi because he is a lover of the poor, said Vatican deputy spokesman Thomas Rosica."

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

"Pope Francis chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi because he is a lover of the poor, said Vatican deputy spokesman Thomas Rosica."

Well there we go, then. Thanks, Belle.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by KillarneyRose

I love Francis I (even though I was originally pulling for John Paul III) because Francis of Assisi is my favorite saint (Make me a Channel of Your Peace is my alltime favorite hymn).

And "All Creatures of our God and King," which is a paraphrase of Francis's Canticle of the Sun, is mine.

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

"Pope Francis chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi because he is a lover of the poor, said Vatican deputy spokesman Thomas Rosica."

One thing that came to mind as I thought about the name is another aspect of St. Francis -- the part where he had the vision in San Damiano church in which the icon of Jesus on the cross spoke to him and said "Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins." Though at first Francis took this literally and started working to repair the church, he and Franciscans since understood it was a command to work to renew the Church. As Pope Benedict XVI described it, "At that moment St. Francis was called to repair the small church, but the ruinous state of the building was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the Church herself. At that time the Church had a superficial faith which did not shape or transform life, a scarcely zealous clergy, and a chilling of love."

This was the aspect that analysts, including a spokesman from the Vatican Press Office, were talking about on CNN last night. They thought this was the real message behind the name, and they thought the choice of the name "Francis" was much bigger news than the first pope from the Americas -- they saw it as the big news of the day (aside from the election itself, of course). As John Allen, the CNN analyst who called the choice "stunning" put it, the Catholic Church has always had two faces -- the institutional, somewhat majestic face exemplified by the papacy, and the humble, charitable, down-in-the-trenches face, which St. Francis perhaps more than anyone else exemplifies. Sometimes, he said, the two faces are closer together, sometimes they are far apart. But the choice by a pope to use the name "Francis," he said, signaled a desire that the "institutional face" mirror the humble, charitable face. Per Allen, "The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual."

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Well, to add to the mix, apparently St. Francis Solano, a Franciscan who was educated by Jesuits and a missionary to South America and is known as the Wonder Worker of the New World, is patron saint of Argentina (and Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru). That had to have factored in.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the Francis is for all three St. Francises.

To answer amIblue, on tv they have mentioned cardinals go-in with a name in mind (should they be chosen) because it is the second immediate question they are asked after they are voted-in.

I have been HOPING for a Pope Francis...got my wish!

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

To answer amIblue, on tv they have mentioned cardinals go-in with a name in mind (should they be chosen) because it is the second immediate question they are asked after they are voted-in.

I have been HOPING for a Pope Francis...got my wish!

Thanks! It seemed like they knew the name quickly.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

To answer amIblue, on tv they have mentioned cardinals go-in with a name in mind (should they be chosen) because it is the second immediate question they are asked after they are voted-in.

I have been HOPING for a Pope Francis...got my wish!

What's the first? And couldn't they just ask God real quick?

[SWTXBelle]

The first is if he will accept the papacy.