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I wish him all the best. There are some grumblings that he isn't progressive enough, but he was a Catholic Cardinal - you're not going to gay and feminist loving dude no matter who you pick.
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I do appreciate his focus on the plight of the poor world-wide, because I think that is something the church was / should be based on. That is great.
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And I like he is a Jesuit. To me (as opposed to reality) they are focussed on education and out-reach. I think that is important. I mean a Jesuit Pope is much more palatable to men than the ex-Nazi Youth Pope.
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Most of the Catholics I have actually met, in my 50 plus years have, been Latin Americans living in the United States, so I think it is wonderful that the church has embraced this group by choosing a Latin American Cardinal as pope. They are a pious and usually good people that look to God for moral guidance and a sense of family. So I like Francis for that.
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Also, father Junipero Serra was a Franciscan Jesuit - he founded the missions in California. I have been to the Missions and to the Vatican. If anything, I feel the gift of God more in the Missions - although the Vatican is beautiful and expensive!
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Below, some pictures of Mission San Juan Capistrano - the first Mission I visited, and the one I have visited most often. This mission was destroyed in an 1812 earthquake, and then rebuilt over the years. Then one picture of Mission Santa Barbara, my second most visited Mission. It hasn't been destroyed by an earthquake and has functioned pretty much as a mission since the 1700s.
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| The Chapel - rebuilt after the 1812 Earthquake. |
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| It used to be most famous for the swallows that live there . |
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Mission Santa Barbara, where the Franciscan Friars still live.
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