4 ways being a Jesuit shapes Francis’ papacy

Want to better understand Pope Francis? Learn about the Jesuits. They’re a religious order founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola in Spain. Jorge Bergoglio – later Pope Francis – became a Jesuit in 1960.

“He’s a Jesuit to his toes,” said the Rev. James Shea, pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church, an uptown Charlotte parish staffed by Jesuits.

Here are four ways being a Jesuit is shaping Francis’ papacy:

1. Jesuits take a vow of poverty.

That may be one reason Pope Francis has opted for a simpler lifestyle – a Ford Focus, orthopedic shoes, a spare apartment – than his papal predecessors.

The Spiritual Exercises fashioned by that first Jesuit, Ignatius, are designed to make people “free to be with the poor Jesus,” Shea said. And in Francis, he added, “I’ve never seen a freer man.”

2. Jesuits have professed what’s called a “preferential option for the poor.”

As bishop of Buenos Aires and as pope, Francis has made serving the poor his top priority.

“He knows poor people in the way the previous two popes didn’t,” said Shea. “So his heart is there.”

3. The Jesuits are missionaries.

Unlike those in monastic religious orders, the Jesuits set out for the world, looking for new flocks to shepherd. “The highway is our monastery,” an early Jesuit said.

Pope Francis wants the whole church to be on the frontier, Shea said, and has urged bishops to “be close to your people, have the smell of the sheep and be full of mercy.”

4. Jesuits listen to their lives, seeking discernment of God’s will.

For a Jesuit, personal experience is important spiritual data, said Shea.

So Pope Francis has invited open dialogue – and listening to lay people. At a synod last year, Shea said, “some of the bishops said, ‘What’s off the table?’ And (Francis said), ‘Nothing is off the table.’ ”

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 6:20 PM with the headline "4 ways being a Jesuit shapes Francis’ papacy."