Pope Francis I election surprises Jesuits in Cebu
THE election of Pope Francis resonates in a special way in Cebu which has a large school, parish and retreat house run by the Jesuit congregation.
“Most of us were surprised. He was not even a front runner. We had never heard of him. As part of the Jesuit Constitution, we do not aspire for that kind of job (papacy). Our apostolate is education,” said Fr. Ramon Mores, S.J., parochial vicar of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in D. Jakosalem Street in Cebu City.
He said the parish church would hold a thanksgiving Mass before the Holy Week for the intentions of the first Jesuit pope, who was Jorge Cardinal Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina before he was elected by the Conclave last week.
Sacred Heart Parish
The Sacred Heart Parish is a Jesuit-administered parish for the Chinese-Filipino community in Cebu.
Jesuits also administer the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu in Mandaue City and the Jesuit Retreat House in Banawa, Cebu City.
“What is a Jesuit? First of all, a Jesuit is a sinner. Therefore, we accept our limitations. We are not angels. We are all sinners. Whatever work we do is for the greater glory of God,” said Mores, who has been a priest of at least 20 years.
“We should support the Holy Father. He can’t run the whole world by himself.”
The Society of Jesus is the biggest religious order in the world with at least 20,000 members, said Mores.
Among the schools run by the Jesuits in the country are the Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Naga University, Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Cebu University, Ateneo de Zamboanga University and, Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro.
Aside from vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Jesuit clergy take another special vow of obedience to the pope.
society origins
The society was founded by St. Ignatius de Loyola in the 16th century.
“What the world needs is not only competence but also dedication and commitment to serve the people. I would like the new pope to exercise his office with those qualities,” Mores said.
“His role is to enlighten the people. They say the Catholic Church is very confused now. I think he will address the issues. He will work with others. He’s not going to be a dictator,” he said.
The new pope chose the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, an Italian friar who founded the Franciscan order. /Fe Marie D. Dumaboc and Ador Vincent Mayol
