Today Bishop McManus said mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Worcester to celebrate the election of Pope Francis.
In his homily, the bishop said:
It seems to be true, very true, that God gives the Church what the Church needs at this time.
The bishop highlighted the new pope’s South American origins and his asking for the people’s blessing before blessing them at the announcement of his election.
I believe what the Church needs desperately at this moment is another Francis Xavier . . . a man who knows first-hand what it is to be a missionary.
These were very appropriate remarks for a celebration. I appreciated the recognition that “this moment” is a crucial one. Maybe it’s a sign of my pessimism and anxiety about the hierarchy that my own thoughts kept drifting to unresolved questions about Pope Francis’s past actions under the Argentine dictatorship, and whether he will be willing and able to take bold action on the child sex abuse crisis.
Update: The Catholic Free Press has non-cellphone pix of the mass and lots of local reaction.
Also:
- Great recent article on St Francis (previously blogged here)
- Day One papal roundup from Rocco Palmo
- The Tablet: Vatican rejects claims that Pope collaborated with junta
And: Assumption president quoted in WSJ article: Bid to Remake Church Will Focus on Vatican Administration
“Before addressing the scandals that hit the Vatican, he first needs to learn what happened,” said Francesco Cesareo, a church historian and president of Assumption College in Worcester, Mass.