Pope Francis

photo from reuters

Habemus Papam!

The Catholic Church has a new pope in Pope Francis. The conclave of cardinals chose  Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who became the first South American Pope.  He takes the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a venerated 13th Century religious figure who live in poverty and wanted to reform the Church. 

Aside from being the first Pope Francis and the first Latin-American Pope, he is also  the first Jesuit Pope, an order considered within Vatican as one of the most liberal.

After his election, Pope Francis prayed for his predecessor Benedict XVI and then asked the people to pray for him before he gave his first Urbi et Orbi.  

"My hope is that this journey of the Church that we begin today, together with the help of my Cardinal Vicar, may be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city." Pope Francis told his flock.