YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Catholic Diocese of Youngstown Bishop George Murry discussed the announcement of the first Jesuit pope Wednesday. Bishop Murry, who is also a Jesuit, talked about Pope Francis' service to the poor and about moving forward from the child sex abuse scandal.
Pope Francis' reputation of living a simple lifestyle and helping the poor reflects the religious order he belongs to- the Society of Jesus.
Even though Youngstown Bishop George Murry has not met the new pope, he is a member of the same order of priests and brothers known as the Jesuits, that follows the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
"St. Ignatius, to return to something I mentioned before, always emphasized Jesuits needed to be men concerned about the poor and I think that is something which the new Pope Francis I has taken to heart," said Bishop Murry.
The name that Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio chose "Pope Francis" also seems to echo this commitment. St. Francis of Assisi gave up his inherited wealth for a life of poverty and according to the Associated Press, is said to have been called by God to repair a church in ruins. The Associated Press reports that Pope Francis may also be paying tribute to another Catholic saint, Francis Xavier, the 16th century missionary to Asia who founded the Jesuit order with Ignatius.
It is currently a tumultuous time within the church with the child sex abuse scandal.
"Whoever became pope, there was no way around that person dealing with that issue. It is a serious issue. It has wide ramifications especially in terms of challenging the faith of very good people. So he is going to have to respond to that," said Bishop Murry.
Bishop Murry points to the pope's goal of evangelization as a positive sign in moving forward.
Meanwhile the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests issued a statement saying that Pope Francis should emulate how St. Francis of Assisi challenged bishops, cardinals and the pope to reform the church.
The statement reads that the group wants the pope to "as his very first act, decree the zero tolerance of sexual abuse of children by priests."
"Pope Francis has a special responsibility to hold accountable Jesuit official[s] around the world who has[have] covered up child sex crimes," according to the statement from SNAP.
The Associated Press reports that Pope Francis will visit his predecessor Benedict XVI and celebrate his first mass as pope Thursday.
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