Papal choice approved by local Revs.

The first non-European pop was named last week, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and Flathead Valley’s Catholic Church leaders approved of the decision.

Rev. Rod Ermatinger, St. Matthew’s pastor, and Monsignor Donald Shea of John Paul II Catholic Church in Bigfork were impressed by Pope Francis’ immediate call for prayer for the retired pope, and that he asked the crowd for a moment of silence to pray for him.

“They are picking a pope they think is best for right now, but foremost a pope that is a man of God, a man of prayer and a man of virtue,” Ermatinger said.

Pope Francis is also “man of the people,” Ermatinger added about the new pope who lived in a one-room apartment, routinely took the bus to work in Argentina, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the poor.

Ermatinger and Shea also touched on the importance of a pope’s namesake.

Taking the name of Francis of Assisi — the name of a deacon — is significant, Shea said, because it relates that humility.

“When God spoke to Francis of Assisi, he said, ‘Fix my church,’” Shea said.

What St. Francis realized, Shea said, is that it was the institutional church that needed fixing.

“He [Pope Francis] is taking the same marching order,” Shea said.

Pope Francis is a Jesuit, “which says he’s a brilliant man,” he added.

Ermatinger said the new pope recognizes the need for reform among Catholic leadership that governs the church and addressing scandals the church faces.