No one is more surprised than myself that I felt great excitement and hope at the election today of Pope Francis I. On so many levels besides that he is from Argentina. He is known to live a preferential option for the poor; he is known to denounce
the hypocrisy of other clergy; he is known to kiss the feet of AIDS victims; he is known to take public transportation...and on and on. And I was struck by his peaceful demeanor as his life changed before his eyes and he gave it over to one of the hardest
tasks of our time. He was surrendering his personal life even as we watched.