We welcome a new pope today. I received a flurry of email and text messages and phone call - all friends both Catholic and non-Catholic - at the excitement over the white smoke that came out of the conclave.
I did not know what to expect, and I was greeted with such wonderful news. We have the first non-European pope in many, many centuries, the first pope ever from the Americas and the first pope who is Jesuit. By all accounts, he is a very humble man who is committed to social justice. He has spent most of his life serving in his native Argentina. He was born in Buenos Aires and is the son of a railroad worker who immigrated from Italy.
I look forward to hearing from Pope Francis in the days and weeks and months to come. I look forward to hearing his vision for our Church. As I am obedient to our bishop - Bishop Joseph Latin of Jackson - I am also obedient to the pope. On Tuesday of Holy Week, we priests in the Diocese of Jackson will travel to St Peter Cathedral in downtown Jackson to attend the Chrism Mass and to renew our obedience to our bishop for the upcoming year. I look forward to that day with great joy and I look forward to learning more about our new pope. What an exciting day for us.
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