We have a pope!

But I’m sure you knew that already.

I liked his demeanor when he came out to give his blessing. I liked that he asked us to pray for him; he surely needs our prayers. I liked that he chose the name Francis—quite a surprise, as for the last hundreds of years popes have generally chosen the name of one of their predecessors. I don’t know whether the Holy Father had St. Francis of Assisi or St. Francis Xavier in mind, but I suspect it’s both. He seems a true son of St. Francis of Assisi; apparently as archbishop he has lived in a small apartment and taken the bus to work, which is not the usual think for archbishops.

Pope Francis is not a young man, so it seems likely that we’ll be doing this again in ten years. Maybe then I can get the Pope Dominic I was hoping for. In the meantime I like the look of him, and I like what I’ve read about him, and I look forward to hearing more from him.

God Bless Pope Francis! Viva Papa Poverello!