In the beginning of my freshman year at a Jesuit high school I was instructed – as were my classmates – to put the initials, A.M.D.G., at the top of any paper I was to hand in to a teacher. Spelled out these initials are: “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” in Latin, and “To the Greater Honor and Glory of God” in English.

I have chosen to write about this ‘motto’ because it is at the core of a Jesuit’s life. And, who is the most talked about Jesuit of our time: the new Pope, Pope Francis, who is a member of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). I choose to write about it also because of the lessons implied in the motto for ethical leadership.