New pope, new era, few changes: Column

• Francis%27 election reflects what many observers have referred to as the %22browning%22 of Roman Catholicism.
• It is noteworthy%2C however%2C that Bergoglio picked St. Francis as his namesake
• Still%2C this is a period of grave challenges in the church.

"Habemus papam" — "We have a pope." And he hails from Latin America.

Less than an hour after white smoke went up over St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on Wednesday, indicating that the College of Cardinals had agreed on a new pope, Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was announced as Pope Francis and a curtain went up on a new era in Roman Catholic history.

Like America's past two presidential elections, the surprise election of the first non-European pope — some betting sites had Bergoglio as a 25-to-1 underdog despite the fact that he was reportedly the runner-up at the last conclave — reflects what many observers have referred to as the "browning" of Roman Catholicism.

According to a recent study by the Pew Forum, about two-thirds of the world's Catholics lived in Europe in 1910. But today, roughly that same percentage live in Latin America, Africa, or Asia. Only about a quarter are Europeans, and many of them are nominally observant at best.

Even so, it is unlikely that the Roman Catholic Church is in for major changes with the election of the 266th successor to St. Peter. After all, each of the 115 men who voted in this week's conclave was appointed by either John Paul II or Benedict XVI, who together created a College of Cardinals that ranges theologically from very conservative to ultraconservative.

So will this papacy see the sorts of reforms many Americans are clamoring for? Female priests? Married priests? Acceptance of artificial birth control? No, no and no again.

'Pope of the streets'

It is noteworthy, however, that Bergoglio picked St. Francis as his namesake. In Argentina, he played the part, living in a simple apartment, taking the subway to work and cooking his own meals. In 2007, he told a gathering of Latin American bishops that "the unjust distribution of goods" created "a situation of social sin that cries out to heaven." So hopes that Francis will become a "pope of the streets" are not entirely quixotic.

Nonetheless, Bergoglio, who is also the first Jesuit pope, has stridently opposed efforts to liberalize the Society of Jesus or to turn the Latin American Church in the direction of liberation theology. He blasted a decision by the Buenos Aires government to allow abortions in rape cases. And he denounced same-sex marriage (which became law in Argentina in 2010) as "a destructive pretension against the plan of God." His rhetoric, said Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, smacks of "medieval times and the Inquisition."

An awkward moment

Wednesday, as he stood on the central balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square, he looked a bit like St. Francis might have appeared under the glare of our global spotlight. In a sharp contrast to the "Pop Pope" John Paul II, he looked uncomfortable in his own skin. He made a joke about coming so far to become the bishop of Rome (one of the side jobs of every pope), but his arms hung awkwardly at his side and the only real smile he could muster came when he exited the balcony.

Historians like to tell a joke about Adam turning to Eve as they are being expelled from the Garden of Eden and saying, "We live in an era of great transition." The point (other than the fact that historians are often challenged in the humor department) is that change has always been with us: Every era is an era of great transition.

Still, this is a period of grave challenges in the church. The new pope will need to attend to a sexual abuse crisis that has gravely undermined the moral authority of his institution. He will have to deal with a shortage of priests, competition from evangelicals and Pentecostals in the Global South, demands from rank-and-file Catholics for greater accountability in the secretive Vatican and a larger role for women in a church that still elects its popes in all-male conclaves.

These are tall orders for any man, and I am skeptical that the 76-year-old Bergoglio (who has only one lung) will be able to do much about any of them in his lifetime. But I see one reason to hope that he will be something more than a caretaker pope who kicks the can down the road for another few years. During his brief remarks, he made time for Catholics around the world to speak to God in silence. "Your prayer for me," he said, humbly. Every new pope needs more than prayers. He needs help, for one. And when it comes to getting the sort of help you really need, listening to ordinary Catholics isn't a bad place to start.

Stephen Prothero is a professor in Boston University's religion department and the author of The American Bible: How Our Words Unite, Divide, and Define a Nation.

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