Catholic Jesuit leaders praise Pope Francis

In the -year history of the Catholic Church until Pope Francis no Jesuit priest had ever been elevated to the papacy by the College of Cardinals The Jesuits or the Society of Jesus as it s also known were founded by St Ignatius of Loyola in Jesuits are the largest order in the church and their focus on teaching social justice and challenging the status quo have led them to be labeled by countless conservatives in the Catholic Church as liberal or progressive For more than years there has been a back-and-forth struggle between church reformers and others who want to maintain the status quo Related stories Pope Francis remembered across DC area Pope Francis first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming humble style dies at LGBTQ leader calls Pope Francis a gift to the district The heart of a pastor Virginia Monsignor recalls working as interpreter for Pope Francis The leader of the Jesuit order in North America D C -based Rev Brian Paulson serves as its provincial He mentioned the late Pope Francis embraced this role as a social warrior who tirelessly advocated for refugees the poor people with disabilities and the LGBTQ public His legacy his signature move has been to try invite us to be a more listening church on all levels Paulson disclosed He s going to be remembered for his writings from on the care for the habitat It s just eloquent it s science-based It was a distress cry Paulson added His critical writings have a profound social analysis in them Paulson announced the pope also took on conservatives in the church when it came to gay rights by authorizing the blessing of same sex relationships Pope Francis has been a more pastoral pontiff Paulson reported His first programmatic encyclical which came out in November of was called the Happiness of the gospel And there s a line in there that I love The Satisfaction of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin sorrow emptiness and they are filled with love and then they live lives with Christ ' The move was embraced by particular Catholics for its inclusive nature but others various in North America complained the pope did not move further and faster He would say you should do theology by listening to the people How do people pray How do they live What are their joys What are their sorrows Paulson communicated WTOP When he writes you see those Jesuit roots of his in that he takes his own personal religious experience personally he added St Ignatius and the Jesuits believe you can find God in all things and Paulson believes Francis was called to the job at the right time not only as the first Jesuit to be selected as pope but also the first from South America ending a centuries-old tradition of selecting a pope from Europe The foundation of Jesuit life is the spiritual exercise of St Ignatius of Loyola Paulson reported Jesuits are practical and there was a sense that the Vatican needed deep transformation And I think they felt that Pope Francis had been a very thriving archbishop of Buenos Aires He had been a Jesuit provincial very young in his late s Paulson stated he travels to the Vatican at least three times a year for church-related business and he has met the pope and spoken with him on various occasions He recalled one meeting during which Pope Francis met specifically with Jesuit priests and afterward the two priests had a moment together I have a photo that is precious to me Paulson reported describing the moment when the two spoke I mentioned to him I thank you for your amenity and he gave me that little Pope smile that he had Paulson commented he believes Pope Francis served the church and the world with diligence and love and his papacy will be looked upon kindly by history Source