Jesuit formation from the beginning has passed on St. Ignatius Loyola’s vision of the Society of Jesus – that we are to be ordinary priests and brothers, not seeking ecclesiastical offices such as bishop or cardinal. St. Ignatius wanted us to be  “men on mission”, able to move anywhere to proclaim the Gospel for God’s greater glory. And this has been, by and large, the tradition of the Jesuits.  For a Jesuit to become a bishop is an exception and it only happens at the insistence of the Pope himself, to whom we have vowed special obedience with regard to any mission in the church. A Jesuit called by the Pope to become a bishop is advised to speak to our Superior General in Rome to confirm that this is truly what God is calling him to do, and is not out of a personal ambition. In recent years, Pope John Paul II appointed many more Jesuits to be bishops than had been the custom.

    So, you can understand how Jesuits around the world were utterly bowled over that one of our companions would be elected Pope!  But the wonderful part of this choice is the man himself who was chosen – one whose life exemplifies the ideals of Jesuit vision and life.  Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio chose the name of “Francis” to inspire him to carry out the Petrine ministry. His own life and ministry with the poor in Buenos Aires was one of the reasons for the choice of this name.  Ironically, St. Ignatius of Loyola, after his conversion, had a great devotion to St. Francis of Assisi and joining this religious order was one of the possibilities he contemplated.  Jesuits have laboured in Latin America (for example in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay) from the earliest years of the Society. It is here that Jorge Bergoglio  received his vocation to become a Jesuit.

    The sources of Jesuit (Ignatian) spirituality lie in our formation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius,  a strong intellectual training, a sense of mission and commitment to the promotion of justice and peace of God’s kingdom and  the stewardship of creation. It is not hard to see these essentials already being evidenced in the ministry of Pope Francis, in his words and deeds.

    Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, has expressed the Society’s desire to be at the service of the Church with the traditional bond of obedience to the Roman Pontiff,  Pope Francis in turn has welcomed this collaboration and asked all Jesuits to pray earnestly for him in his new Petrine ministry. He has begun well, giving a new face and a new direction of the Church to the world.

    May the Spirit give him wisdom and courage in all he undertakes for the good of the Church in our world today.