Props To Pope Francis!

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by Smitty

This unabashedly heretic blog* salutes the traditional election of the new Pontifex Maximus, Francis I, after Francis of Assisi.
As I was explaining on Twitter to Jimmie Bise:


Politics is politics, and faith is faith, and the latter is orders of magnitude more important. Thus, it is good to rejoice with Roman Catholics on this day, and pray for solidarity in the cause of Christ.
From Wikipedia:

As Cardinal, Bergoglio became known for personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and a commitment to social justice. A simple lifestyle contributed to his reputation for humility. He lived in a small apartment, rather than in the palatial bishop’s residence. He gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of public transportation,[3] and he reportedly cooked his own meals.

It will be interesting to see what “social justice” means in the Papal context.

*I’m so lost in the Baptist weeds I don’t even count myself a Protestant

34 comments

  1. I find it interesting that a leading Jesuit has taken a papal name honoring St. Francis. Hasn’t seemed the two orders got along very well.

    It’s a good name for him though, and may help keep him from getting too big for his vestments — lest people tell him to lighten up.

  5. That “social justice” thing is a red flag. Hope it doesn’t mean what Zombie Hugo Chavez thinks it means.

    In other news, I find I enjoy typing “Zombie Hugo Chavez.”

    He’s dead, Jim.

  7. As the resident/token Papist, I’m pretty sure you and Stacy are just schismatic rather than actively heretical. 😉

  10. The Jesuits were co-founded by Francis and Ignatius so it actually and historically makes perfect sense.

  11. Didn’t ‘Social Justice’ originate with the church, and wasn’t the term hijacked by the socialist left?

    It should have an entirely different meaning considering that churches cannot issue mandates nor levy taxes. Religion is voluntary. Socialism is compulsory.

  14. Here are the seven basic tenets

    1. All humans have an inherent dignity and must be treated as such

    2.Marriage and the family are the central cornerstone upon which our civilization is founded, every individual has both a right and a duty to participate in their society, and that we should organize our society to maximize the ability of the individual to participate in the above

    3. Every individual has God given rights which must be protected and responsibilities to be met

    4. Do not abuse the poor, set aside a portion of your income to help the poor, working to help the poor is in and of itself an act of worship (Isaiah 58:5-7 for the source on this one) – generally, “that which you do for the least of my people…”

    5. Work is not just a means of making a living, it is a way of continuing the work of creation and the rights of the workers – fair wages, acquisition of property, the right to form unions, economic mobility, labor which is actually productive for society as a whole – must be protected.

    6. Love thy neighbor, even if they live halfway around the world, and try to prevent wars and violence

    7. Good stewardship of the Earth and the universe around ourselves as the creation of God Himself

    You can find a more in-depth description here – http (colon) //www (dot) usccb (dot) org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching (dot) cfm

    There is a lot of debate within the Church on how best to carry out Jesus’ command to love thy neighbor as thyself, but the general goals towards which we should work have been largely agreed to. Also, remember that how Americans define many of these things and how the Church defines it will not always be the same.

  17. Pretty much, although the American Bishops went with the socialist version some decades ago, and are only in the beginning stages of recovery and redemption now.

  24. Il Papa is ready to excommunicate pro-abortion politicians.

    He also gives up his OWN luxury for the sake of the poor, rather than browbeating other people to give more of their hard-earned money to the government, to be distributed by a faceless bureaucracy, in order to buy votes for those in power. You know, actual justice.

  25. That, and we are commended to render unto God what is God’s. Serving the poor, visiting the sick, clothing the naked, and such are all things that we do for GOD, not for the State, so, in some sense, socialism is rendering unto Caesar that which is God’s.

  27. Yes, in fact it was coined by a Jesuit (in 1640) and was classed as a holy work of charity. Sadly, the Frankfurt School subsumed the definition and gave is a socialist meaning in the 20’s under Adorno, Hegel and others. The Tavistock Institute is another source of contigation …

  28. In such actions you see the preaching of St. Francis of Assisi not St. Francis Xavier … His style of life as a priest, Bishop, Arch-Bishop and Cardinal follows Franciscan precepts rather than Jesuit ones.

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