A few days ago, Walt told you that the new Pope chose his name, Francis, to honour St. Francis Xavier, a follower of St. Ignatius Loyola and one of the first members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), to which order Pope Francis belongs.
Only a day later, the Holy Father corrected those of us who were under this misapprehension. It turns out he had in mind St. Francis of Assisi, because he (the Pope) wishes the main theme of his papacy to be caring for the poor, as did St. Francis. All well and good, but some traditional Catholics think there are other matters which deserve as great or greater priority -- like restoring the Traditional Catholic Faith and (especially) the Mass of All Time.
The priest who writes the Traditio blog goes so far as to say that St. Francis was more than the great humanitarian and nature lover we remember today. In fact (he writes) St. Francis was an unapologetic traditional Catholic.
St. Francis personally accompanied the Fifth Crusade (1217-1219), inaugurated by Pope Innocent III, and attempted to convert the Muslim leader Sultan Malek-el-Kamil, saying to his face, "We have come to preach faith in Jesus Christ to you, that you will renounce Mohammed, that wicked slave of the devil, and obtain everlasting life."
Will Pope Francis follow in the saint's footsteps? Walt doubts it very much. Lifetime pct .976.
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