A Jesuit pope

Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, wanted to shield the members of his new order from the ambition and corruption he saw in the Renaissance church and wrote into the rules that, unlike in other religious orders, Jesuits would not be allowed to accept appointments as bishops or other high church posts. This led to the perception of Jesuits as behind-the-scenes manipulators and earned the superior general of the order the title "black pope," because he would be whispering instructions into the ear of the man in the white cassock.

Exceptions were made for bishops in "mission" countries, and that is probably the rationalization for Bergoglio becoming archbishop of Buenos Aires, though a country that is predominantly Catholic and which once enjoyed a standard of living comparable to many countries in Europe can hardly be described as a "mission" country. Once a bishop gets the cardinal's hat, of course, it's out of the hands of the order, and the college of cardinals, if so moved, is free to choose that member of their select group as pope.

In any case, a Jesuit pope is something of an anomaly, because one of the distinctive characteristics of the order is a special vow of obedience to the pope. Again, in the context of the 16th century when the order was founded, the idea was to ensure a loyal shock troop to stem the tide of Reformation sweeping down from Germany. Unwavering loyalty to the pope in Rome was seen as the way to do that.

It was perhaps inevitable, though, that eventually one of these highly qualified, highly motivated priests would become pope. What's interesting is that Pope John Paul II, who feuded with the Jesuits off and on, would select the head of the order in Argentina first as bishop, then as cardinal. John Paul was so enamored of Opus Dei, the secretive order engaged in an intense rivalry with the Jesuits for influence in the church, that it was rumored he was himself a member of the secular order. It is ironic, then, that a Jesuit is now pope and will by his very presence on the throne of St. Peter tilt the playing field in favor of his order.

Not only will his election now give Jesuits the upper hand throughout the church, it is likely to revitalize the order, which has shrunk to half the size it was when I entered the novitiate in 1966 -- to 17,500 members from 35,000 then. It is no stretch to imagine that young men around the world, especially in Latin America, will discover they have a vocation to join the Society of Jesus.

I left the order after only six years and no longer practice my religion, but the church continues to fascinate me as an institution. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez got it exactly right when she called Bergoglio "medieval" for his opposition to same-sex marriage. But it may be his equally medieval devotion to St. Francis will counterbalance this reactionary tendency as he brings a new attitude of humility to the papacy. I thought it was disappointing when Benedict said he would continue to wear a white cassock and live in a palatial setting in the Vatican, styling himself pope emeritus. It seemed to me more appropriate for the first pope to retire in several centuries to retreat to a monastery in Bavaria and wear a simple black cassock. So Bergoglio is immediately refreshing in forgoing the red slippers and instructing the cardinals to come to their first audience with him in black cassocks instead of scarlet and lace.