7/28/2019 Sydney Catholic Schools welcome Pope Francis

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Forimmediaterelease

14March2013

Sydney Catholic schools welcome Pope Francis I!

DanWhite,ExecutiveDirectorofCatholicSchoolsintheArchdioceseofSydney,haswarmlywelcomedtheannouncementofArgentine

CardinalJorgeMarioBergoglio,PopeFrancisI,asthe266thPope.

PopeFrancisisthefirstnon-EuropeantobeelectedPopeinalmost

1,300yearsand,andthefirstmemberofanyreligiousorder(theJesuits)tobeelectedinnearlytwocenturies.

TheelectionofanewPopetoleadtheCatholiccommunityisalways

atimeajoy,expectationandcelebration,DrWhitesaid.

ThedecisionofthenewPopetotakethenameFrancishasparticularsignificanceforme.Ifeel

personallyinspiredbyStFrancisofAssisisdeeppersonaldevotiontoJesus,hishumilityand

simplicity,andhisworkinservingthepoor.Itisalsolikelythatthetakingofthenamepayshomage

toStFrancisXavier,thefounderoftheJesuitorder.

WehaveadeepspiritualconnectionwithJesuitorderhereinSydney,withtwoJesuitschoolsinthe

Archdiocese.DrWhitesaid.Theorderalsohasconnectionswithsomeofourotherschools.

IamsuretherewillbelotsspecialprayersforournewPopeinclassroomstoday.

SamHow,aYear10atMaristCollegeNorthShore,saidhehopedthatthenewPopewillbringnew

energytotheChurch,andencouragepeoplefromallbackgroundstocelebratetheirfaith.Ialso

thinkitsgreatthatheisfromaregionfromwhichtherehasneverbeenaPopebefore,Samsaid.

ThatsendsamessagethattheCatholicfaithisinclusiveandopentoeveryone.

Inthespiritofhisnamesake,PopeFrancisIisknownasamanofgreathumilitywithadevotionto

thepoorInBuenosAires,heisknownsimplyas"FatherJorge."

IcanonlyimaginereceptionPopeFranciswillreceivewhenhearrivesinhisnativeSouthAmericain

afewmonthstimetocelebrateYouthDaywiththeCatholicyouthoftheworld,DrWhitesaid.

Morethan280studentsfromourSydneyCatholicschoolswillalsoinbeRioDeJaneiroinJulyfor

WorldYouthDay,andIhavenodoubtthattheirwelcometoournewPopewillbejustaswarm.

#ends

Formediainquiries,contactMarkRix,HeadofCommunications,on0417442018.