Fredericksburg Priest 'Had a Hunch' About New Pope

Father James Hudgins was more happy than surprised when Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope on Wednesday.

"I'll go ahead and say it ... I had a hunch he would be the one who would be chosen," Hudgins, head of St. Jude Catholic Church, said.  "There are so many Catholics in South America and Latin America -- Brazil is the country with the most in the world and Mexico is second -- and there is so much growth there, I thought they [the conclave] might pay homage to a leader there," he told Patch Wednesday afternoon.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, is the former archbishop of Buenos Aires.

"I'm thrilled and very happy because the new Pope Francis has always been a leader in the New Evangelization, and he's been an advocate for the disenfranchised and the poor his entire life," Hudgins said.

The new Pope's namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, was himself an advocate for the poor and cast out.  Father Hudgins said since he did not know for sure, he could not speculate that this was a reason for Cardinal Bergoglio's choice of name.

New Evangelization is a program for the church introduced by Pope John Paul II and supported by Pope Benedict XVI.  It's based on the idea that countries formerly know as Catholic and Christian by their culture really no longer are, Hudgins said.  "The new evangelization is about introducing the world to the Gospel as if for the first time," he said.

The U.S. bishops’ Doctrine Committee had already planned to meet with theological societies at Catholic University in Washington March 16 to discuss New Evangelization, such importance it has in the Church.

"I have a tremendous amount of hope," Hudgins said of Pope Francis' election.  "This is a happy day for Catholics everywhere."

For more on the election of Pope Francis, see these stories on Fredericksburg Patch:

• New Pope Francis Elected: Catholics in Fredericksburg Respond
• Pope Benedict XVI to Resign: Fredericksburg Catholics React
• Diocesan Statement on Pope Benedict XVI

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