Jim Houston, who has been the pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish for 23 years, said he wasn't surpised that Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who chose the name Francis, was appointed as the new leader of the Catholic Church yesterday.
Bergoglio, 76, the first pope from South America, is a Jesuit from Buenos Aires and is the first pope from South America and the first to take the name Francis, as reported by ABC News.
"The Catholic Church is a univeral church, and it seems to me everyone has been expecting a broader outreach to all people," said Houston. "Some years ago, the world was talking about going east to west, and that it’s time to look north and south. We were caught in this European American thing. It is a surprise to the people; you can see Latin Americans were jumping for joy."
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Houston added that St. Rose is a Latin American parish by name, in that St. Rose is a patron saint from Peru, and "we're sort of proud of that."
His phone started ringing immediately after the new pope was named, said Houston. And for the pope-less weeks prior, parishioners were questioning Houston about mass, and would it be affected?
"For good Catholics, a pope is our spiritual father," said Houston. "It's a big deal. People are excited. And of course, [Bergoglio] is a Jesuit, and they are the brightest priests in the church. Many of the people in Northborough were educated by Jesuits at Boston College or Holy Cross, for instance. There is another area of excitement that we have a Jesuit pope."
Relating stories of Bergoglio's character, Houston is impressed by the humility he has often demonstrated; he moved out of his palace into a small apartment, got rid of his chauffeured car and took the bus to work and cooked his own meals.
"He’s a humble man, and I think the church could use a dose of humility," said Houston. "Yesterday, he refused to ride in the Pope’s car and jumped on the shuttle. He might be in denial. He brings us the gift of humility and prayerfulness. He looked like a young kid bringing flowers to Mary. He has an extreme care for the poor. So much of Latin America is poor. There is a story of he went to the hospital and washed the feet of people living with AIDS. I think he brings us hope."