The long-awaited white smoke billowed forth from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at approximately 7:07 p.m. Rome time, announcing the election of the 266th pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who took the name of Pope Francis.
A man described as being humble of heart yet strong and steady, our new Holy Father is the first Jesuit as well as the first prelate from the Americas to ascend the Chair of Peter. Indicative of Pope Francis’ legendary humility, minutes after appearing on the balcony of the basilica today, he led the jubilant crowd in prayer for our pope emeritus, and only later asked for prayers for himself.
“The purpose of the conclave was to appoint the bishop of Rome. But it seems my brothers the cardinals went all the way to the end of the world. I thank you for your welcome,” were his first words to the people as Pope.
He was elected on the fifth ballot in what many consider to be a remarkably quick conclave considering the fact that there was no clear front runner going into the vote.
However, this wasn’t his first time around as a top candidate for Pope. He is said to have received the second highest number of votes in 2005 when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ordained for the Jesuits on December 13, 1969, he studied at the Theological Faculty of San Miguel and received a licentiate in philosophy. He became a bishop in 1992 and was installed as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. In 2001, he received the red hat from Pope John Paul II.
Besides his native Spanish, Pope Francis also speaks fluent Italian and German.
He spent his entire life in Argentia, quickly rising through the ranks to become Argentina’s top Church official. But he chose to live his vocation his own way, forsaking the ornate mansion in Buenos Aires to sleep in a bed downtown heated by nothing more than a small stove. For years, he cooked his own meals and took public transportation around the city.
He’s also no foreigner to social media. In fact, CTVNews is reporting that he sent a Tweet shortly after his election, saying: The new pope was also quick to send out a message on social media — tweeting: “Inmensamente feliz de ser el nuevo Papa, Francisco I” — or “Immensely happy to be your new pope, Francis I”. He also has his own Facebook page.
As Cardinal Bergoglio, he had amassed one of the most essential skills deemed desirable by the Cardinal-electors this time around – his long history of pastoral work. Truly a man of the people, he spent a lifetime teaching and leading priests in an area of the world that has the largest share of the world’s Catholics.
According to his official biographer, Sergio Rubin, he has a keen political sense and yet the kind of self-effacing humility that endears him to everyone who knows him.
Rubin told the Associated Press that Pope Francis is likely to encourage the church’s 400,000 priests to “hit the streets” in search of souls.
Most comfortable in a low profile position, this new pope is the antithesis of Vatican splendor. “It’s a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows,” Rubin said. “This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome.”
As the Lord teaches, ” . . . he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11), and Cardinal Bergoglio will take a back seat no longer. On this day he was chosen by God as the perfect man to shepherd the world’s largest church in this day and time.
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