New Pope brings many firsts for Catholic church

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)-- When Cardinal Bergoglio became Pope Francis yesterday, the Catholic church experienced a few firsts. For one, he is the first Latin American pope.

"One of the great challenges to the Catholic church is that, although there are two thirds of Catholics who now live in the global south, the sort of consciousness of the church in Rome remains overwhelmingly Euro-Centric," said Dr. Paul Lakeland, Fairfield U. Center for Catholic Studies Director.

Dr. Paul Lakeland is the head of the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University, a school founded by Jesuits.

And that is another first with Pope Francis, he is the first pope from the Jesuit order.

In this country, we associate Jesuits with education, because there are so many Jesuit colleges and universities like Fairfield University, but Jesuits have also been known to have disagreements with popes.

"While the Jesuits have a vow of obedience to the pope, they also, in recent years anyway, have been thought of as a little bit too freewheeling," Dr.Lakeland.

He can sort of laugh at that because there is not much about Pope Francis that is in anyway freewheeling.

He is also the first pope to choose the name Francis, after Francis of Assisi, a saint associated with simplicity and poverty.

"A call to reform the church, and an openness to people beyond the Christian community, Francis was very open to the Muslims," said Dr. Lakeland.