Did the Jesuits pick a lame-duck leader?

This topic lies outside our stated purview, but since nobody else seems to have fully analyzed the situation, we’ll take up some space here to do so.

Last week, the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) elected Adolfo Nicolás as their 30th Father General. As the head of the largest religious order of men, the Father General of the Jesuits is commonly called the Black Pope, after the color of his attire and the enormous power he wields.

Self-described liberals and conservatives have honed in on Nicolás’ “progressive” credentials, which are undeniable. The left sees this election as a vindication of their views, and the right smells the smoke of Satan.

What neither the left nor the right has noticed, however, is that Adolfo Nicolás is old.

In the 20th century, the average age of an incoming Father General was less than 55 years old. Nicolás is 71.

Does this mean anything? Maybe not.

But if Father Tom Smolich is right that "the electors chose the man God had in mind," then maybe God is telling us that He doesn’t want Father Nicolás to accomplish very much. After all, at 71, it’s unlikely that Nicolás will have the time, not to mention other resources, to leave the kind of mark on the Society of Jesus that his predecessors left.

But it's worth remembering Pope John XXIII, another "transitional" figure who rose to power in his 70s. That pontificate, the Vatican website says, "would mark a turning point in history and initiate a new age for the Church."