Archbishop Charles Chaput released this statement on the election of our new Holy Father:
I first met our new Holy Father at Rome’s 1997 Synod for America, and still have a gift from him, a portrait of Mary, the mother of Jesus, on my desk.
Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Bergoglio, is a man from the new heartland of the global Church; a priest of extraordinary intellectual and cultural strengths; a man deeply engaged in the issues of contemporary life and able to speak to the modern heart; open to the new realities the Church faces; and rooted in a deep love of Jesus Christ. He is a wonderful choice; a pastor God sends not just to the Church but to every person of good will who honestly yearns for justice, peace and human dignity in our time. May God grant him courage and joy, and sustain him with his divine presence.
And may Catholics in Philadelphia and around the world lift him up with our prayers.
March 13, 2013 at 10:24 pm
No bishop is going to badmouth the pope.
This is just boilerplate press release stuff.
March 14, 2013 at 12:35 am
No, it is not. Archbishop Chaput is a man of integrity and truth. I am sure what he says is true.
March 14, 2013 at 2:56 am
What Kathy said. Archbishop Chaput has proven himself both a man of profound insight and faith who speaks unabashedly the eternal truths of the church, as well as an able shepherd of his flock.
March 14, 2013 at 5:26 am
@Anonymous: And…you think Chaput should badmouth Pope Francis? What is your evidence for this, pray tell?
March 14, 2013 at 1:47 pm
Forgive me for being previous, but Chaput would make an excellent successor to Pope Francis …