Puneites hail choice of ‘fellow Jesuit’ as Pope Francis

Puneites hail choice of ‘fellow Jesuit’ as Pope
- CAMIL PARKHE Sakal Times Friday, 15 March 2013 - 03:19 PM IST
Tags: Jesuit, church, catholic church, pope, Pune, Camil Parkhe

PUNE: The news of election of a Jesuit as the new pope led to joyous celebrations at various Jesuit institutions in the city on Thursday. This has been for the first time that a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) has been elected as the pontiff.

Pune Jesuit Provincial Father Bhausaheb Sansare who is incidentally in Rome to attend the Provincials Colloquium said that he was privileged to witness the new pope’s election at the Vatican on Wednesday.

“My phone has been ringing since this morning and I have received many emails, congratulating us the Jesuits on one of us being elevated to the post of the pope,” said Fr Bertie Rosario, former principal of St Vincent’s High School. Sr Santan Nago, Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima, said that she is looking forward to meeting the new pope when the heads of congregation of nuns from all over the world will meet in Rome in the first week of May, this year.

Incidentally, the Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima is the only nuns congregation having its headquarters in the city. Most of the Catholic religious congregations have their headquarters either in Rome or other parts of the country.

Jesuit scholar Fr Noel Sheth has termed the pope’s elections as a new milestone in the history of the Catholic Church. “The third world countries now have someone who knows first-hand their struggles, difficulties and problems, Joe Kasbe from Vadgaonsheri said that he was happy that a the conclave of cardinals has chosen an Argentine as the new pope. “ However I would have been happier if a cardinal from Asia were elected as the pontiff,” he added.

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