Having done like so many people today, no doubt, I've done Google searches on both this new Pope Francis by his birth name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and his Papal name--Francis.
With that, I'm just hoping he does, in fact, emulate the best aspects of St. Francis of Assisi. First, some background, in this case, from Wikipedia:
"It has been argued that no one in history was as dedicated as Francis to imitate the life, and carry out the work, of Christ in Christ’s own way.[3] This is important in understanding Francis' character and his affinity for the Eucharist and respect for the priests who carried out the sacrament.[3] He and his followers celebrated and even venerated poverty. Poverty was so central to his character that in his last written work, the Testament, he said that absolute personal and corporate poverty was the essential lifestyle for the members of his order.[3] He believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters,” and even preached to the birds and supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf. In his “Canticle of the Creatures” (“Praises of Creatures” or “Canticle of the Sun”), he mentioned the “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon,” the wind and water, and “Sister Death.” He referred to his chronic illnesses as his “sisters." His deep sense of brotherhood under God embraced others, and declared that “he considered himself no friend of Christ if he did not cherish those for whom Christ died.”[3] Francis's visit to Egypt and attempted rapprochement with the Muslim world had far-reaching consequences, long past his own death, since after the fall of the Crusader Kingdom it would be the Franciscans, of all Catholics, who would be allowed to stay on in the Holy Land and be recognized as "Custodians of the Holy Land" on behalf of the Catholic Church."
Imagine if he did, imagine if this new Pope "venerated poverty." He could rail with some authority over the wealthy and uber-wealthy and corporations taking such huge and ugly advantages of the working-, middle- and lower-classes.
Imagine if he emphasized nature as "the mirror of God." He'd likely come out strongly and squarely for living more responsibly and sustainably here on the planet. Who knows? Maybe, in the best case scenario he'd come out for recognizing man-influenced climate change and global warming.
Imagine if this new Pope Francis, like St. Francis of Assisi, worked to bridge the huge divide between the Muslim and Catholic religions.
Imagine.
Of course, all that said, the first thing he has to do, no matter what, is demand that, worldwide, the sexual abuse and physical abuse of the Catholic children and students in the Church be ended and that no additional priest or leader in the Church be protected.
Hey, we can dream, can't we?
Then, along with that venerating poverty, he'd Sell The Vatican, Feed The World.
