The Jesuits were founded by St. Ignatius in 1534, and are the order most responsible for spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was revealed to St. Margaret-Mary Alacoque in the early 1600s.
The Jesuits, said Bermudez, "see the heart as the center of the human person that has to be transformed and that has to be completely renewed."
"The transformation of the heart makes the Christian become the heart of the Catholic Church, and when the heart of the Catholic Church is transformed, the Church becomes the heart of the world, and is capable of transforming the world."
Bermudez explained that this transformation is not something that develops in "a rigid chronological line," meaning that once all Catholics are transformed, then the Church will transform, and only after that will the world be transformed.
Rather, the Jesuits view this process of transformation as a simultaneous process, in which "every change in the human heart reflects in the change of the Church, which will reflect in the change of the world."
This approach was clearly seen in both the "thought and the pastoral practice" of Cardinal Bergoglio, and is something that "we see more and more clear in Pope Francis."
"He's someone that is totally convinced that any reform in the Church begins with the transformation of the heart."
Bermudez stated that although six months is "an interesting landmark to make an assessment," it is still too early to define a pontificate, and that the Church will most likely see more of Pope Francis' defining characteristics after many of the significant events that will happen in October.
Among several items on his agenda for next month, the Pope is slated to meet with the eight cardinals he appointed to advise him on governing the Church and reforming the Curia. The group will hold its first meeting Oct. 1-3.
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.