“The day we get a Jesuit Pope, hell will freeze over!”  So it has been said, perhaps even by me.  Well, it must be awfully chilly in the netherworld today because we do indeed have a Jesuit Pope.  Francis I, S.J.  Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

It’s a good thing that I’m not a gambler, because I would waste a whole lot of money.  I was so far off on this one.  I didn’t expect a new pope before Friday.  And I was sure, when the decision came so quickly, that it would be someone from inside the Vatican.  In fact, I was betting on Cardinal Scola as we raced to the Vatican for the announcement.

We were celebrating mass in the community and were just receiving communion when the bells started ringing.  We all looked at each other and realized that “Habemus Papam.”  It seemed like the rest of mass took forever, prolonged by the decision of the celebrant to offer extra prayers on behalf of the cardinals who were voting.  Maybe he didn’t hear the bells.  I don’t know.  But as soon as we were done, we all raced out of the chapel and off to St. Peter’s, arriving thankfully with time to spare before the introduction of the new Pope.

The small group of Jesuits I was with managed to worm our way into the piazza, ending up at about the level of the central obelisk.  The crowd was humming with expectation, waiting more or less patiently for the moment when he would appear on the balcony over the main doors of the basilica.  Finally, the announcement was made: “Habemus Papam, Cardinalis Georgius Marius Bergoglio, nomine Franciscus.”  Silence.  “Who?”  Then, ecstatic shouting, jumping up and down, applause, whistling.  The South Americans began dancing and singing in unbridled elation.

One unforgettable image that stands out for me at that moment was the sea of tiny illuminated screens of cell phones and digital cameras of all descriptions, flooding the piazza with their light as people captured the moment.  It’s a new world out there, for sure.

At last, after what seemed an inordinate delay, the figure of Pope Francis I stepped onto the balcony dressed in white, but with no other adornment, and just stood there quietly while the crowd erupted.  And then in the simplest of greetings he said, “Brothers and sisters, good evening.”  At that moment, I knew we were in for an entirely new approach to the papacy.  None of the pomp, the pageantry, the stuffiness often associated with papal events.  Just a simple pastor, greeting his people.  And it only got better from there.

In an eloquent expression of humility the most powerful man in the Church asked for the blessing of the people before giving his blessing to the people.  The piazza fell silent and you could feel the power of the Spirit as people prayed for their new shepherd.  It moved me to tears, as does the recollection of it as I write this.