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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/world/europe/cardinals-elect-new-pope.html?_r=0
Personal Opinion: The first non-European Pope ever... This is a sign of trouble.
I didn't think they would elect a new Pope so soon... I mean, it hasn't even been a month. The conclave sure ended fast... too fast. It seems to me that the haste of which this decision was made is reflected in the candidate they picked. Not to mention that the man is 76. They could have picked a somewhat younger one...
Anyway, for better or worse, this is it. The new Pope is from Argentina and he is taking on the name that suggest that his main concerns will be with poverty, hunger and helping the needy.
VATICAN CITY — With a puff of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and to the cheers of thousands of rain-soaked faithful, a gathering of Catholic cardinals picked a new pope from among their midst on Wednesday — choosing the cardinal from Argentina, the first South American to ever lead the church.
The new pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (pronounced Ber-GOAL-io), will be called Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. He is also the first non-European leader of the church in more than 1,200 years.
In choosing Francis, 76, who had been the archbishop of Buenos Aires, the cardinals sent a powerful message that the future of the church lies in the global south, home to the bulk of the world’s Catholics.
“I would like to thank you for your embrace,” said the new pope, dressed in white, from the white balcony on St. Peter’s Basilica as thousands cheered joyously below. “My brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am.”
Speaking in Italian as he blessed the faithful, Francis asked the audience to “pray for me, and we’ll see each other soon.”
“Good night, and have a good rest,” he concluded, in a grandfatherly, almost casual tone.
“Habemus papam!” members of the crowd shouted in Latin, waving umbrellas and flags. “We have a pope!” Others cried, “Viva il Papa!”
“It was like waiting for the birth of a baby, only better,” said a Roman man. A child sitting atop his father’s shoulders waved a crucifix.
Francis is known as a humble man who spoke out for the poor and led an austere life in Buenos Aires. He was born to Italian immigrant parents and was raised in the Argentine capital.
Personal Opinion: The first non-European Pope ever... This is a sign of trouble.
I didn't think they would elect a new Pope so soon... I mean, it hasn't even been a month. The conclave sure ended fast... too fast. It seems to me that the haste of which this decision was made is reflected in the candidate they picked. Not to mention that the man is 76. They could have picked a somewhat younger one...
Anyway, for better or worse, this is it. The new Pope is from Argentina and he is taking on the name that suggest that his main concerns will be with poverty, hunger and helping the needy.