Pope Francis is elected the 266th Bishop of Rome
Today marks the day that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first South American ever and the first non-European in over 1200 years to ascend to the Chair of St. Peter
2013 A.D.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
As a grad student at Northern Arizona University, I worked in Sports Information for the Lumberjacks’ nationally-known track & field and cross country teams, and worked from our staff’s office in the press box of NAU’s indoor football stadium.
After a recent renovation, there had been a flat-screen and a rather old couch installed just outside our office – most of the time tuned to Sportscenter or any number of live college games from around the country. But not that day.
Two weeks earlier, I had awoken to an alert on my phone that Pope Benedict XVI was resigning his post.
But wait. I thought the pope had to die in office. Could a pope quit?
At any rate, I listened to a lot of SiriusXM’s Catholic Channel in those days, particularly to New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s regular show. The prospect of a papal conclave was very fascinating indeed – it had only happened one time in my short life, and the mystique of it I couldn’t help but marvel at, particularly as a cradle Catholic who had just recently had experienced a profound awakening to the truth and utter real-ness of the faith of my youth. And so I consumed every bit of media I could in those two weeks – from Cardinal Dolan or otherwise – obsessed with the proceedings to come.
So when March 12 and 13 rolled around, I don’t think I got a lick of work done. Despite not even being a papal history nut yet, I sat glued to that press box TV, watching coverage from the Vatican, on the literal edge of my seat as the world waited for that signature white smoke to billow from the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
And billow it did, after just the fifth ballot of the conclave, choosing a humble man from Argentina – Jorge Bergoglio, the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires – as the 265th Successor of St. Peter.
Here’s ABC News’ coverage of that evening in Rome:
Some Fun Facts about Francis:
At his election, Pope Francis was:
The first pope from the Americas
The first pope from the Southern Hemisphere
The first Jesuit pope
the 17th-oldest pope (9th oldest if you only count those after 1400 AD, when birth dates became more reliable)
the 4th to be chosen at age 76 (St. John XXIII was the most recent prior to Francis, in 1958)
Interestingly enough, only 27% of Roman pontiffs (73) have made it past a decade in office, and 11 others died in their 10th year.
Even more popes (80) haven’t even made it past the TWO year mark, and 27 pontificates ended in the same year that they started – the most recent being heavenly-friend-of-the-show Blessed Pope John Paul I.
Pope Francis has already cracked the Top 10 of oldest living popes, and is actually the third oldest living pope of all time if you only count those after 1400 AD, when birthdates became more reliable. If you count those before 1400, Francis would have to live to age 101 to overtake good old Pope St. Agatho (d. 577) for the top spot.
NOW, I know full well that Pope Francis has hardly batted 1.000 in his decade in the papacy, and parsing out the pros and cons are topics for another day…in 50 or 100 years.
However, I think it’s worth mentioning, simply for some historical perspective, that even the best popes are far from perfect – some are holy men who are terrible administrators (like Servant of God Pope Benedict XIII) and some are the exact opposite, ridiculously efficient at managing the Church without much care for spiritual things.
And all popes are at the head of a massive proverbial ship, on which there are always plenty of dark corners for rats to hide, content to create chaos each in their own way, unbeknownst to the captain until it’s often too late.
Of course, the responsibility always falls on the helmsman either way, and perhaps that’s by Our Lord’s design. Peter himself followed Jesus to the Cross. Why should his successors be any different?
So on this 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ historic election to the papacy, let’s each stop now and offer an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be, that he might be strengthened by grace in his mission to the end.
APOSTOLIC BLESSING "URBI ET ORBI"
FIRST GREETING OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS
Central Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Brothers and sisters, good evening!
You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one... but here we are... I thank you for your welcome. The diocesan community of Rome now has its Bishop. Thank you! And first of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him.
[Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...]
And now, we take up this journey: Bishop and People. This journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches. A journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great spirit of fraternity. It is my hope for you that this journey of the Church, which we start today, and in which my Cardinal Vicar, here present, will assist me, will be fruitful for the evangelization of this most beautiful city.
And now I would like to give the blessing, but first - first I ask a favour of you: before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me: the prayer of the people asking the blessing for their Bishop. Let us make, in silence, this prayer: your prayer over me.
[...]
Now I will give the Blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.
[Blessing]
Brothers and sisters, I leave you now. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me and until we meet again. We will see each other soon. Tomorrow I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, that she may watch over all of Rome. Good night and sleep well!