The choice of the largely unknown Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics came as a surprise to Vatican watchers and the faithful alike when the announcement was made in March last year.

The conclave to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, the first pope for more than 600 years to step down, was viewed as wide open, although most predicted that the Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola or Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec would be elected.

When 76-year-old Bergoglio emerged as Pope on only the second day of voting, it was largely explained as a unity candidacy to prevent deadlock between rival factions.

But a biography of Pope Francis, to be published next month, discloses that there had been a discreet, but highly organised, campaign by a small group of European cardinals in support of Cardinal Bergoglio.

The Great Reformer, by the British Catholic writer Austen Ivereigh, nicknames the group "Team Bergoglio" and says members toured private dinners and other gatherings of cardinals in the days before the conclave, quietly putting their case.

Cardinal Bergoglio was effectively the runner-up in the 2005 conclave, in which Joseph Ratzinger was elected, having been put forward by an alliance of mainly European reformists.

But it later emerged that his chances of election were hampered by what amounted to a dirty tricks campaign by opponents from Argentina.

He also effectively pulled the plug on any campaign in 2005, urging would-be supporters to throw their weight behind Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and making clear that he did not wish to be the focus of a faction. Continue reading

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Image: NBC Latino

Even a cardinal, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, has called for "proper reform to the sacrament" - an idea Pope Francis has signalled he does not want to look at.

Recently I came across some models of the life journey.

The first was of a wavy line that began with the 'I' at the bottom and 'God' at the top.

Life was a journey to God, and was about taking up one's cross, denying self, acquiring virtue, learning to pray, and stop sinning. That was the way to get to God.

I suspect that model will resonate with older people but I have been told by younger Catholics that they, too, drift into that mind set as well. Weekly confession, especially for priests and religious was part of the journey in this model.

Model two was the same wavy line but right beside the contours was a second parallel line, the God who was with us, from birth to death, encompassing, carrying, accompanying us every step of the way. Continue reading.

Br Kieran Fenn is a Marist teaching Brother who lives in a young adult community in Wellington, and has spent many years teaching the Bible in New Zealand and abroad.

Source: The Tablet Blog

Image: CNS/The Catholic Sun

The cardinal mounted a critical attack on atheism and its attitude to those with religious beliefs, warning: "In the name of tolerance it seems to me tolerance is being abolished."