Educators, philosophers, reformers it's a good sign in several ways............glad the conservatives backing Nigeria didn't win.
Jesuits are a bit sort of naughty, well smart enough not to be dogmatic
Within the Roman Catholic Church, there has existed a sometimes tense relationship between Jesuits and the Vatican due to questioning of official Church teaching and papal directives, such as those on abortion,[53][54] birth control,[55][56][57][58] women deacons,[59] homosexuality, and liberation theology.[60][61] Usually this theological free thinking is academically oriented, being prevalent at the university level.
From this standpoint, the function of this debate is less to challenge the magisterium than illustrate the church's ability to compromise in a pluralist society based on shared values which do not always align with religious teachings.[62]
The previous two Popes have appointed Jesuits to powerful positions in the Church; John Paul II appointed Roberto Tucci, S.J., to the College of Cardinals, after serving as the chief organizer of papal trips and public events. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have appointed 10 Jesuit Cardinals to notable jobs. Benedict XVI appointed Jesuits to notable positions in his curia, such as Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, S.J. as Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Rev. Federico Lombardi, S.J., Vatican Press Secretary[63]. Pope Francis, elected in 2013, has become the first Jesuit Pope.
Anyway - my sister's and I found them very comforting and accepting when Mum died and we talked to them about abortion, the pill, being gay and all kinds of stuff. They told us jokes about the then pope and one was a music professor at Melb Uni who had been married and widowed, and another called himself a buddhist catholic and liked to hang out with the local Vietnamese.
They were like no other priests I have ever encountered.
