That ... was fast

[james_davis_nicoll]

I thought there was no consensus heading into the conclave?

New pope chosen

Comments

[mishalak]

Eh. Pundits know nothing as usual. I have zero speculation myself, but I expect that nothing will change at the world's smallest state. He might be different, but the bureaucracy is eternal.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Suggests an establishment candidate emerged...

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Apparently they've picked the guy who came second to Ratzinger and he's 76... so, we'll be having a rinse/repeat of this in the next 5-10 years then...

[bruce munro (from livejournal.com)]

Or perhaps he'll live to 96 and GO MAD WITH POWER!!

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Well... he *is* a Jesuit. As a friend of mine said, 'look busy'...

[nojay.livejournal.com]

He's missing a lung, according to reports, from a teenage illness. He may end up being a JP1...

[bschilli.livejournal.com]

The Archbishop of Buenos Aires Argentina

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

They went with the conservative choice again. Not much chance for the liberal wing for the next decade or so, still.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

There's not been much chance for the liberal wing since JP2 and Ratzinger started picking the cardinals.

There will be a new pope inside of a decade I suspect, and they'll probably be a conservative, but then things might start to shift.

[xinef.livejournal.com]

Is there a liberal wing? Didn't look like it to me!

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

Given some of the other options...

[harvey-rrit.livejournal.com]

A former Hitler Youth is succeeded by someone who moved to Argentina.

Nope, not creepy at all.

[nathan helfinstine (from livejournal.com)]

Ha! Good point.

[jsburbidge.livejournal.com]

Born in Buenos Aires. His parents moved to Argentina.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Clearly his long history of being a lackey for military dictators gave him an edge over those who were jus philosophically fascist.

[bruce munro (from livejournal.com)]

He also did well in the "doesn't look like a Sith Lord" category.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Indeed. He's got much more of an ``isn't that Arthur C Clarke'' thing going on.

[jsburbidge.livejournal.com]

The Grauniad breakdown of cardinals listed him as one of the minority of "Moderates" (there were three categories: moderate, conservative, and ultra-conservative). For practical purposes hoping for someone more liberal than Francis assumes access to a different spacetime continuum.

At his age, even if he puts emphasis on some form of new direction (most likely related to social justice) the most to expect would be a "transitional" papacy. On the other hand, John XXIII's papacy lasted less than 5 years.

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

I like the choice of name.

I assume he's named after St. Francis Xavier, who was not only the founder of the SJ, but the patron saint of the X-Men.

[nathan helfinstine (from livejournal.com)]

The speculation I've been reading is that he's referencing St. Francis of Assisi. Which seems fitting, as everyone is already talking about how he didn't live in his official archbishop quarters, took public transportation, etc.

[tandw.livejournal.com]

Wasn't Ignatius Loyola the founder of the Society? Francis Xavier was a pretty special part of its early days, true, but it was Loyola who wrote the Spiritual Exercises.

[scott-sanford.livejournal.com]

I look forward to his revision of Catholic boarding schools, particularly the addition of flying nuns and priests who take down troublemakers with lightening bolts.

[sanskritabelt.livejournal.com]

Well, at least this pope doesn't seem to have qualms about remanding priests to the secular authority.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Not for actual wrongdoing, though.

[(Anonymous)]

The first pope with Italian born parents in almost 35 years.

After Wojtyla and Ratzinger it's good to see a cardinal with a proper name, Bergoglio, elected.

I'm very excited.

- Syd