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Though no one knows for sure, Jorge Bergoglio’s Jesuit background could be a telling detail about how he will serve as pope, according to interviews with several experts from Creighton University.

For one thing, Jesuits are not to seek out church office, as instructed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Society of Jesus in the 16th century. Jesuit priests, instead, serve as the workmen of the church.

“Never in a million years would he have imagined he would be a bishop, a monsignor, or a cardinal, much less a pope,” said the Rev. Richard Hauser, a theology professor and a member of Creighton’s Jesuit community. “If you have those types of ambitions, you don’t join the Jesuits. He must have been so attractive in his own Ignatian spirituality to the people in Rome who are in charge of appointing bishops.”

For another, he has chosen the name “Francis.” It could be after St. Francis of Assisi, best known for his life of simplicity and attention to the natural world. He founded the Franciscan order, whose members take a vow of poverty. Or “Francis” could be a reference to St. Francis Xavier, one of the founding 10 Jesuits of the 16th century. He symbolizes the church’s missionary role, having received papal orders to serve as a missionary in India and Japan. The name also could honor a family member or a role model.

“I suspect he has deep and abiding devotion to the Francis saints,” said Eileen Burke-Sullivan, associate professor of theology at Creighton. “I think you can take a number of symbolic signals from it.”

A reference to St. Francis of Assisi could signal that the new pope will be attentive to those living in poverty and to the environment, she said. A reference to St. Francis Xavier could signal his intent to emphasize evangelism.

Finally, the fact that Bergoglio accepted ecclesiastical office highlights the Jesuits’ “fourth vow” of obedience to the Pope.

“I think the images he uses in his preaching and writing will resonate with us fairly easily,” said the Rev. Roc O’Connor, rector of the Jesuit community at Creighton. Though he doesn’t expect the new pope to single out the Jesuits, he may take that special vow of obedience serious and press the Jesuits into additional service around the world.

“We’re just servants of the church, as he is supposed to be,” O’Connor said.

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