God Bless Our New Pope Francis

Catholic World Rejoices With Our Newly Elected Pope 

 

 

The world rejoices because of the newly elected Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, at Buenos Aires, an Italian, and was a chemical technician before entering seminary and was ordained in 1969.  He became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and later became a Cardinal in 2001.

He is the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church elected by the Papal Conclave last March 13, 2013, and the first Pope to have taken the name Francis in honour of St. Francis de Assisi for his passion in serving the poor, he is also the first Jesuit Pope, the first Pope from the Americas, the first Pope from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first non-European Pope in 1,200 years.

He is known for leading a simple life avoiding a mansion, chose to live in a very simple apartment, cooks his own meal and used to rode on a mass transit, and chose to take a minivan with the other cardinals after he was elected pope rather than ride in a special sedan.

In his youth, he enjoyed dancing the tango with a girlfriend before discovering a religious vocation. In his teenage years, he had his lung removed after an infection. He is the eldest of five children from an Italian parents. He speaks three languages: Spanish, Italian and German.

He has been criticized for not speaking out against Argentina’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. He slammed other Latin American priests who objected to the baptizing of  children born out of wedlock. He was critical of Argentina’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage, calling it “a destructive attack on God’s plan.” He also opposes gay people’s adopting children.

He is rumored to have been the runner-up in 2005, losing that papal election to Benedict XVI.  After being elected pope, he remained standing on the same level as the cardinal-electors rather than sitting in a throne.

Throughout his life, both as an individual and a religious leader, he has been known for his humility, his concern for the poor, and his commitment to dialogue as a way to build bridges between people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and faiths. Since his election to the papacy, he has displayed a simpler and less formal approach to the office, including a decision to reside in the Vatican guesthouse rather than the papal residence used by his predecessors since 1903.