Bergoglio was asked about his Jesuit vows

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When the so-called “Pope Francis” (Antipope Jorge Bergoglio) was allegedly elected, there was a lot of talk about him being the first Jesuit pope.

There is one problem though: The Jesuits, like members of other religious orders, take the three usual vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and a special vow of obedience to the pope. But they also promise the following: “I also promise that I will never strive for or ambition any prelacy or dignity outside the Society; and I will to the best of my ability never consent to my election unless I am forced to do so by obedience to him who can order me under penalty of sin.”

How this squares with a papal election, is anyone’s guess. Surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly), there is a deep silence on this question.

I have discovered an occasion where Bergoglio was directly asked this question. On February 2, 2023, Bergoglio held a meeting with Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They had a question-and-answer session, which can be found on the website of La Civiltà Cattolica. One of the questions was the following:

“As a professed Jesuit you vowed not to seek roles of authority in the Church. What prompted you to accept the episcopacy and then the cardinalate and then the papacy?

When I made that vow, I meant it. When they proposed me to be auxiliary bishop of San Miguel, I did not accept. Then I was asked to be bishop of an area in northern Argentina, in the province of Corrientes. The papal nuncio, to encourage me to accept, told me that there were the ruins of the Jesuit past there. I replied that I did not want to be guardian of the ruins, and I refused. I refused these two requests because of the vow I made. The third time the nuncio came, but already with the authorization signed by the superior general, Fr. Kolvenbach, who had agreed to my accepting. It was as an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. Therefore I accepted in a spirit of obedience. Then I was appointed coadjutor archbishop of my city, and in 2001 cardinal. In the last conclave, I came with a small briefcase to return immediately to the diocese, but I had to stay. I believe in the Jesuit distinctiveness about this vow, and I did my best not to accept the episcopate.”

In other words, Bergoglio does not answer the question regarding the papacy. I wonder why?