Disclaimer: All of my information about him has come so far from wikipedia. I'm sorry if it's untrue, but I am pretty sure it's reliable.
First, a pet peeve of mine. Our Pope's name is Francis...not Francis I. He is the only Francis. Until there is a second, there is no first. Sorry, I had to get that out. Now, on to the real reflections...
You may have noticed that the title of this post is, "Habeo Papam!!!" instead of, "Habemus Papam!!!" This is not a mistake. Which leads me to my first reflection. When I was born, a wonderful, saintly man was pope. He has been one of my biggest heroes in life, and will always be an inspiration to me. However, I believe I was too young at that time for my heart to really see him as my Holy Father. I just didn't understand. I will also always remember in High School, sitting in Latin class, watching Pope Benedict XVI walk out onto the loggia to greet and bless the city and the world. However, at that time, I was also too young, and I was told that he was "really conservative." At that time it sacred me, because I associated it with the liturgy, and I didn't want to "go back" to the "Old Rite." Finally, when Pope Francis walked out onto the balcony, with his simple cassock and small little wave, I realized, in the bottom of my heart, "I have a pope." The more I read about him, the more I realize that this is a pope that I truly love. Every day I discover more and more an affection and a love for him that I have for very few other people.
When Fr. Bergoglio was a young priest, he suffered from severe pneumonia and cysts, and doctors removed part (I'm not sure how much) of one of his lungs. This is fascinating. Our pope does not have two full lungs. However, as a predecessor of his, John Paul II, said, we need to breathe with both lungs...East and West. As a young priest, he was mentored by a Greek Catholic Priest and as the Archbishop of Buenas Aires, he was named the Ordinary for Eastern Catholics in the area, something very rare in the Church. I have developed over my years in seminary a certain affection for the Byzantine Liturgy, and the fact that our Holy Father is well-versed in this beautiful part of our tradition is a very exciting thing. This could also help to advance the dialogues with the Eastern Orthodox, and perhaps finally bring them back into full communion with Rome.
Another striking thing about this pope is the congregations he was a member of as a cardinal. I know that he wasn't in charge of them, and I know that he wasn't intimately involved in everything about these congregations, but there has to be a reason that he was a member of them. He has a certain expertise and particular gift for these areas. The congregations were:
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Pontifical Council for the Family
I think many of the problems facing the Church of today have to do with these four areas. Our greatest divisions are either liturgical or stemming form the priest sex abuse scandals. Our world is struggling with broken families. He brings a tremendous ability to deal with these problems, and to address the issues that face our Church and the world.
One final reflection. The humility and simplicity of Pope Francis is very striking. It is wonderful to see a pope who is so simple and a servant of all people in both word and action. He is a tremendous example for me and for all those who are or are studying to be priests.
This is a wonderful time to be a Catholic, and a wonderful time to be a seminarian. I hope that our Lord guides our Holy Father and helps him to bring about a New Evangelization in our world.
