I HAD always thought of myself as a passable Catholic but certainly not a strictly religious one. I was educated as a child in an exclusive Catholic school and although I may not be as devout as before, I still practice and believe in the important stuff like helping other people if I can and not hurting others.

When it came time for my elementary and high school education, the choice had been between the more liberal education offered by the Jesuits or the relatively more conservative approach offered by the Benedictine order.

Under the Benedictine monks, I received a great, well-rounded education, but this was also tempered by the Benedictine community's conservative philosophy of “ora et labora” (work and prayer). The Jesuits, on the other hand, were more known for their famous (some say infamous) “ratio studiorum” – the rigorous but more humanistic education style of the Society of Jesus. Sometimes, I wonder what I would have become if I had been educated by the Jesuits instead.

Which brings us to the new pontiff, Pope Francis I, who is the first pope to have come from the Jesuit order. Everything has come full circle, it seems, and there is a certain poetic justice to the new pope's ascension because the Jesuits, at one stage of their history, had been shunned by the more conservative elements of the Catholic Church.

Ironically, the Jesuits were originally considered the embodiment of conservatism. They were, after all, founded in the 16th century by St. Ignatius of Loyola, a Spanish soldier who went through a spiritual conversion. Thus, it was not surprising that the Jesuits were initially seen as one of the most conservative elements of the church, often dubbed "God's Marines" or the Catholic Church's "storm troopers."

Then things eventually changed. As the centuries rolled on, the Jesuits, fairly or unfairly, got tagged with the reputation of being the most free-thinking of Catholics, derided as educators of intellectual elites, and unfairly branded as political operators for their progressive brand of social justice.

It is this brand of Jesuits that I encountered when I shed my strictly Catholic primary education and entered the more, let's say, worldly bohemianism of university life. Even then, there was no escaping the Jesuits. When I was in my student activism phase in college, our primary ideological rivals were the sandal-wearing Jesuit radicals in the Jesuit-run university across the campus.

A Jesuit radical is not really a contradiction in terms as by that time, many Jesuits were already deep into the concept of “social justice” – of helping the poor and the oppressed. In fact, many Jesuits were deeply involved in the so-called “liberation theology” movement, a political movement in Catholic theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus in relation to a liberation from unjust economic, political or social conditions.

Liberation theology has been described as "an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the institutionalized Church through the eyes of the poor." But detractors have also described liberation theology as simply Christianized Marxism. It is no surprise that liberation theology spread most prominently in the Latin American countries, where the Jesuits fanned out to educate and help some of the most impoverished (and oppressed) people on Earth.

True to the doctrine of the Jesuit order, which observes a vow of poverty, Pope Francis I, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was well-known for his simplicity and accessibility although he already held high office as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital. He reportedly took the bus to work every day, sold the cardinal's residence, and lived in a small apartment where he cooked for himself.

Unfortunately, his being a Jesuit has launched all sorts of conspiracy theories about a “religious cabal” that would take over the Catholic Church a la “The Da Vinci Code.” Detractors say the Jesuits are too open – teaching other, not necessarily Christian, theology in their educational institutions and encouraging toleration for other religions. According to The Daily Beast, the Jesuits' emphasis on free thinking – especially the order’s opposition to opulent riches – has made some sectors brand Jesuits as the founders of socialism.

But although the Jesuits are well-known for their “free thinking,” liberal outlook and involvement in more secular matters, they have never lost sight of their primary objective – service to God and service to the people in the name of God. The Jesuits’ Latin motto is “Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam” (for the greater glory of God), meaning everything is offered up to God. As one Jesuit said: “We Jesuits may be heavily immersed in the more secular fields of science, philosophy, literature, and yes, sometimes a little politics. But all of this is for the service of God. They are all for God’s greater glory.”

Indeed, the more conservative elements of the Catholic Church should not fear the new pontiff because from all accounts, Pope Francis I is very conservative theologically and constantly emphasizes the importance of traditional Catholic teachings.

But at the same time, Pope Francis I is also an outspoken advocate of dialogue and a “more humble and listening Church.” This may be just what the Catholic Church needs in this time of turmoil for the Church.