Pope Francis: What's in a name? Papal monkier is a powerful hint

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
3/13/2013
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

What's in a name? Francis hints at a new direction for the Church

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has assumed the title of Pope Francis. The choice of the name Francis says much about the man and what he might regard as his mission.

The man who is now Francis, has hinted at a new direction for the Church.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Adopting a name inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, has hinted strongly at who he will emulate during his tenure.

Saint Francis is legendary within the Church for his aestheticism and piety. Francis was born into a wealthy and privileged household, but abandoned his comfortable life to follow a difficult and disciplined life as a monk.

Saint Francis often slept in the open and his followers were asked to do the same, living and working amongst the poor.

The man who is now Pope Francis grew up poor himself, the son of an Italian immigrant to Argentina.

In his preaching, Francis has called for a renewal of commitment to the poor. He has also spoken out against sinful living, including homosexuality, and has called for compassion towards victims of HIV and AIDS. He has previously made a public statement by washing the feet of AIDS patients.

Francis is also a new name for a pope. Often, a new pope will take the name of a former Holy Father which he may seek to emulate. In this case, by taking an entirely new name, Pope Francis may be signaling a new direction for the Church.

A new direction has been called for by the public, weary of scandals tied to pedophile priests and clergy who lived immoral lifestyles, such as the former Cardinal O'Brien of England. Also weighing heavily on the minds of many have been the financial scandals which rocked the Vatican over the past few years.

Let us hope and pray that Pope Francis inspires as much positive change and reform as his saintly inspiration.

� 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Francis, pope, monkier, name, title, direction

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1 - 4 of 4 Comments

Frank Carter
2 months ago
Why does everyone assume the Pope chose his name after Francis of Assisi?Could it have been St. Francis Xavier Cabrini who was also a Jesuit? Or St Francis de Salles...or St. Francis Paola.
Can someone let me know...thanks
Frank
:) JMJ +
2 months ago
St. Francis of Assisi is a wonderful saint!
However, we are not positive that Pope Francis I took on his name, instead of St. Francis Xavier.
It is not important what his name is from, as long as we have another humble and pious pope, like his predecessor!
A new pope gives us all a new chance to stop criticizing and maligning our popes. Despite circumstances, he is our POPE...and should be prayed for daily. :)
GOD BLESS POPE FRANCIS I!!!!
God bless,
:) JMJ +
Terri K
2 months ago
A vast majority of the priests involved in the sex scandal were homosexual pederasts, meaning they preyed on adolescent boys. There is an important distinction. The media makes it sound as if priests were chasing little girls' skirts. This doesn't imply that the crimes were any less egregious, but the real truth is rife with implications for the homosexualist movement in the US. It'd be nice to see appropriate and correct terminology adopted on Catholic websites.

Viva Papa Francisco!
Janusz
2 months ago
Thank you Lord, thank you the Holy Spirit!

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