When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope in March 2013 many wrote about the significance of the choice of his papal name, Francis. Commentators insisted that this symbolized his indebtedness to the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Francis Xavier, the famous Jesuit missionary. He himself explained his choice of name with his profound veneration of St Francis of Assisi. But there may be an overlooked â??thirdâ? Francis: St. Francis de Sales (1567â??1622), the great master of spirituality, Doctor of the Church and bishop of Geneva. What do I mean? For both Pope Francis and St. Francis de Sales:
1. Reform is central: St. Francis de Sales studied theology and worked as a priest and preacher in the wake of the Council of Trent. Reform was in the air; attempts were being made to retrieve the spiritual power sources of faith, and to eliminate sources of scandal from within. DeSales called this the â??cutting of the aqueducts.â? Pope Francis likewise emphasizes reform. Yet, for both men, â??reformâ? has not been primarily a political thing: It is the constant struggle to let the Church be salt of the earth and light to the world.
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