In September 2012, he delivered a blistering attack on priests who refuse to baptize children born out of wedlock, calling it a form of 'rigorous and hypocritical neo-clericalism.

My grandfather (all around devout guy, father of eight) refused communion for something like 20 years until the priest who'd refused to baptize my one cousin retired. He'd just sit in the pew and glare at the guy.

So he passes the John Booth would take communion from him test. That's only a plus.

Okay, so he's the first Francis but the 266th pope?

The NYT announcement confused me. I was imagining 266 Pope Francis'.

They're an order (actually the Society of Jesus; "Jesuit" is what members of the order are called).

So do you go to a Jesuit seminary? Or do you, forgive me, somehow major in Jesuit at whatever seminary?

Yes, I realize that sounds insane.

And does a particular congregation tend to be just one order? Or to they mix it up send different sorts?

I just hope he did not collaborate with the Argentinian government when they were disappearing people. That would be taking the war on Liberation Theology very literally. Though in line with the last Pope being a former Nazi Youth.

Francis is also Raylan Givens' middle name.(His mama was Frances) (/irrelevant heathen who watches too much TV)

I thought the different orders of priests worked sort of like guys who all go to the same university but join different fraternities. Same for nuns. They all believe the same things, but they choose different missions to focus on.

Also a Presbyterian, so I could be wildly wrong.

Okay, even I need the grammar book today.

The Jesuits are an order. [link]

Different vestments aren't required. There are different types of priests: diocesan and those who belong to an order.

Contrary to popular belief, priests do not generally take a vow of poverty, unless they belong to an order that requires it.

The new Pope talk reminded me: my company has donated 2.8 petabytes of storage to help the Vatican Apostolic Library digitize the entire catalogue of manuscripts and incunabula. Yes, my first thought on reading the press release was, "As an EMC employee, do I get reading privileges? Please?"

So do you go to a Jesuit seminary? Or do you, forgive me, somehow major in Jesuit at whatever seminary?

You study with the Jesuits, I believe. They run schools and so forth, and for people who enter the order it's like an academic fraternity. So you can be a Jesuit and teach at a Jesuit school, or you can be a Jesuit and just be a regular parish priest who happens to be a member of that order.

I also found the "first Non-European Pope in 1000 years" thing confusing.

Is he the first non-European Pope ever or were there non-European popes 1000 years ago?