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Bishop Howard J. Hubbard was as surprised as anyone when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope March 13. In fact, the Bishop was in a meeting when someone there received a tweet about the selection on a cell phone, and the Bishop looked at a list of cardinals in a magazine article he had with him to identify the new pontiff.

"It surprised me for two reasons: [The field] seemed to be so wide open, I thought it would take at least three days before they elected a pope; and Cardinal Bergoglio didn't seem, in the different accounts I read, to be one of the major contenders," Bishop Hubbard explained.

While a Latin American pope had been a possibility, "I was surprised it was this Latin American," since cardinals from Brazil and other countries had been mentioned more in the media.

In addition, said the Bishop, "I assumed with his age now, 76, and given the longevity of the last two popes and their health problems toward the end of their pontificates, [that] people were expecting someone younger."

Another dark horse
As a bishop heading toward the mandatory retirement age of 75 himself, Bishop Hubbard said he "doesn't know what to think" about the cardinals' selection of an older pope, but "it struck me immediately that Pope John XXIII was a 'dark horse' going into the conclave in 1958, but in his five-year pontificate, he turned the Church upside down and called the Second Vatican Council."

It's evident that the cardinals were seeking someone with particular experience with governance, said the Bishop - and Pope Francis certainly has that, having led his Jesuit community in Argentina as well as serving as archbishop there.

The new pope's humility and simplicity impress the Bishop, who called those traits "a wonderful sign for the world. It was moving that he addressed first the people of Rome; he is the bishop of Rome. That was very meaningful. And then, when he asked the people in St. Peter's Square to pray over him," it was another touching moment of humility.

In listening to reactions around the Diocese, "I haven't heard anything negative at all," Bishop Hubbard noted. "People are pleased that someone from Latin America has been chosen, that he's a Jesuit - which people associate with being scholarly - and that he chose the name Francis. St. Francis' life was characterized by humility, poverty, reconciliation within the Church - qualities it appears the pope would like to emulate."

New view
The Bishop believes that Pope Francis will bring a new perspective to the papacy, given his roots, and that it will even affect the U.S., since Hispanic Catholics are the fastest-growing segment of Catholics in America.

"His country has undergone political turmoil; he's taken a great personal interest in serving the poor. He has a perspective most people coming from Western industrialized nations wouldn't have," the Bishop noted. "John Paul II came from a background of Communist oppression, but that's different from the socioeconomic oppression the South American countries have witnessed."

Having previously expressed hope in Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, who has ties to the Albany Diocese, as a papal contender, Bishop Hubbard pointed out that the cardinals have commonalities: "They're both from underdeveloped nations and will bring that Third World perspective. That will enliven and rejuvenate the Church."

The Bishop expects Pope Francis to launch right into using his "proven skills as an administrator" to "assess how the Roman Curia is functioning," having witnessed the "VatiLeaks" scandal, trouble with the Vatican Bank and too much power being concentrated in the Curia, with not enough given to local bishops.

A "Vatican III" would not be unheard of from this pope, he said; but "I would suspect that even if he doesn't call a council, he will be addressing these concerns."

Need for autonomy
That's something the Bishop hopes to see. "The concept of collegiality, which was so innovative in Vatican II, has not been implemented," he said, giving an example from his work with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: "Unless you get a unanimous vote on a teaching or policy by the USCCB, you have to get it approved by the Holy See. What does that say about collegiality or subsidiarity? There needs to be more autonomy given to local bishops' conferences."

On the other hand, Bishop Hubbard said he's aware that bringing about an "attitudinal or institutional change" will be difficult for a pope battling some in the curia who aren't interested in change.

As for the local ripple effect of this papal election, the Bishop believes it won't take long for Pope Francis' style of administration to become well-established, so the Bishop no longer expects his own retirement to be postponed.

He's unsure whether the choice of this particular pope will affect the choice of the next bishop for the Albany Diocese, however: The Vatican's apostolic nuncio to the U.S. and its Congregation for Bishops will still recommend to the pope who should lead the Diocese, and whether the pope will be looking for different qualities in a candidate is yet unknown.

Whoever becomes bishop of the Diocese, Bishop Hubbard is pleased with the traits of the new shepherd of the Church. "The more we're concerned with the poor, human dignity and justice for all, the more we're fulfilling the Gospel message," he said.[[In-content Ad]]

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