Vatican officials announced Wednesday the promotion of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to head the Roman Catholic Church, a much anticipated move which was greeted with enthusiasm by industry experts, while competitors were split over how the decision would affect the spiritual landscape.
As the first Pope Francis, Bergoglio takes the reins of the still dominant, but ailing tech giant in the midst of persistent scandals in both its European and U.S. divisions, as well as an image some have criticized as "old fashioned" and "behind the curve" of a rapidly changing consumer marketplace. This move, however, could be exactly the turnaround the Vatican has been looking for, says columnist and industry watcher Sheila Gladwell.
"Of course everyone knows Bergoglio lives on the cutting edge," said Gladwell in a phone interview from her office in Silicon Valley, "but maybe more importantly, you could hardly pick a more gorgeous specimen to be the new public face of the organization."
Former Vatican executive Sean McGinnis agrees. "I mean look at the guy, you can just see his mind is already two or three generations ahead," McGinnis said on a return to the St. Peter's campus Thursday. "He's like the love child of Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg, but with the rippling abs of Hugh Jackman."
Bergoglio was elevated from his position on the Vatican's board of directors in the second round of voting Wednesday by a group of colleagues who, despite the Church's recent problems, including the jarring resignation in February of Mr. Bergoglio's predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, were never expected to opt for an outside candidate.
A longtime clergyman, Bergoglio is nevertheless seen as an innovator within the organization. He is widely credited with pushing his former boss onto Twitter, a move welcomed with sighs of relief by many Vatican watchers, as well as with the developments of such technologies as the ubiquitous iEucharist and self-driving Catholics, though the latter remain in testing.
Industry outsiders were introduced to the cardinal in 2011 film "Moneysoul", which dramatized the rising star's use of data-driven analytics to accelerate conversion in his native Argentina. Brad Pitt, who received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Bergoglio, famously thought himself "too old" for the part when it was offered to him, but his striking resemblance to the clergyman eventually forced him to relent.
While some have criticized Bergoglio's selection as pandering to the increasingly influential Latino sector, Jewish scholar David Goldberg sees this as a smart move. "This is just like when they put they're headquarters in the middle of the Roman Empire," he wrote on the liturgy watching website TorahBlog. "It significantly reduced the time required for transit and information flow, and the Jews found themselves completely outflanked, ceding huge potential market share to a fledgling startup."
For their part, initial reactions by younger, Latino Catholics have been generally positive, many playing out over the very social media networks championed by the new pope. "OMG <3 Papa Paco! So hott & cant wait to get a taste!!!" tweeted @CatoLeti, apparently anticipating the new line of sacramental wines rumored to be in in the planning stages under Papa Francisco, as he is known in Latin America.
Reactions from other industry players, however, are more circumspect. While Muslim leaders are relieved that the move will have no immediate impact on their efforts to shore up monopolies in Middle Eastern sectors, Mormon leaders have expressed doubts that the new Pope's roots will have any impact on their efforts gain traction in emerging Latin American markets.
"Look, we tried the same thing last year with a Mexican spokesman," said Joseph Walker, a Mission President with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Surprise, Arizona, referring to his organization's failed 2012 hostile takeover attempt of the world's largest democracy. "We put a pretty face out there and there was barely any bump with Latinos. I just don't think this fundamentally changes the game."
