Pope Francis Elected March 13--A Marian Day

Something I hadn't realized.  Here's an encouraging article on the new Pope.  Excerpts:

...I told many friends the night before that I was expecting the Pope to be elected on the 13th since that day of the month was chosen by Our Blessed Mother to crown the first twelve days of prayer. Mary, Mystical Rose, Queen of Priests is remembered that day every month of the year. The sight of a puff of white smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney confirmed my hunch and then came the great surprise: our own Archbishop of Buenos Aires had been whisked away by the Romans and was now Pope Francis...

he is a man’s man in the old way of Argentines of happier times, before vice and corruption came to us disguised as a promise that government was going to take care of us all as long as we worshiped the golden calf. To be a man in this periphery of the world can take someone to unexpected places. When leading the Argentine Jesuits, Monsignor Bergoglio found himself in front of Jorge Rafael Videla pleading for the life of two fellow Jesuits with leftist political leanings. That may seem merely a kind gesture to you but it was more than that. Bergoglio risked his life and went between the jaws of the lion to retrieve these two men whom he himself had severely disciplined shortly before they “disappeared” into the regime’s dungeons.

That act remained hidden from view for a few decades. He was even accused by some in the leftist media of aiding the actions of the dictatorship, and only after being forced to declare before a tribunal did his intervention on behalf of the two Jesuits become public knowledge. No one has heard an apology from his accusers yet, but such is the fate of the saints.

So when Bergoglio extended charity and concrete help to the youngest victims of the AIDS epidemic and kissed some of them tenderly, that was not meant to be a gesture for media consumption, it was a way to teach his flock by example...

When the Conclave elected Francis on March 13th, that date suggested strongly that one of the main missions of the pontificate of Francis is going to be the healing of the Catholic priesthood. Just as Our Lady converted that pigsty into a beautiful edifice dedicated to the glory of God, expect Pope Francis to work with Mary to reconsecrate the Catholic priesthood at all levels after a thorough house cleaning...

Benedict asked us to pray that he would not flee for fear of the wolves. He did not flee but he may have found that a strategic retreat was better for the Church. He did not do that out of fear or cowardice. On the contrary it was an act of valiant humility that opened the door for this Jorge Bergoglio, named after St. George the dragon slayer, to lead the fight with renewed energy.

As thoroughly proved years ago when he appeared before Videla, Francis is no coward. One has to be a man with total self-control to kiss a leper or face a man that can easily order one’s own death. That is a union of soldiering with charity that is not easy to achieve without serious divine help. Such is the Pope that God gave us. Glory to Him for not giving us the pope we deserve...