New Pope!

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been voted the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic church. He will take the name Francis I. He is the first non-European pope in more than a thousand years, and the first ever from the Americas.

I thought he would be younger, but prayers to him.

I got lucky and watched it live. I just happened to turn on the TV and saw that he would be announced soon. It was neat to see him walk through the curtains onto the balcony. Sooooo many people there, but that's to be expected. He's kind of a young looking 76 year old.

Yeah, he looks good for his age. But I was a little surprised that they didn't pick someone younger. Maybe the cardinals figured that an older guy would be less likely to seek any kind of radical reform.

I thought they were gonna pick European. Hopeful everybody is happy with the new pope.

I really like him! A very simple, humble man. A man of the poor. I think he looks like a 'young' 76 too---he looks healthy and strong. And yes Rob, I think you may be right---I hear he is conservative so I'm not sure how radical he's going to get, which is I'm sure what the cardinals wanted. I for one would like to see more adaption in the church, at least priests being allowed to marry. I'm not so sure that will happen with Pope Francis, but how can I not support their choice of a man who is so dedicated to the poor and oppressed, a man who has taken the vow of poverty, an obvious role model and 'people's pope'. He is a symbol of hope in a world where so many have lost their way.

Teresa, I was able to watch it live too---I had seen someone post on facebook and immediately turned on the TV. An hour later, my son walked in the door from school JUST before he was coming onto the balcony! So that was cool---not like you see that every day! Very moving. And this is a pretty monumental pope, being the first non-European in over a thousand years, and a Jesuit as well. He certainly was a surprise pick to a lot of people watching this....no one saw this coming, including the Argentinians!

Prayers for our new Pope!

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/13/17300861-pope-francis-breaks-another-barrier-as-first-jesuit-pontiff?lite

While the cardinals voted, a seagull perched on the Sistine Chapel chimney, which everyone was watching, waiting for the white smoke that would indicate a new pope had been elected. Then they announced that the new pope was Francis, named for Francis of Assissi, the patron saint of Italy. In most paintings, St. Francis appears with a white bird nearby.

What a pretty bird.

That is so neat, Rob!

Prayers to the new Pope, I always wanted to visit a Catholic Church but have never gotten around to it yet

Well gee, what do I know? When I heard he was ultra-conservative, I didn't see much hope for radical change. But check out this article---seems there is great speculation that there may be hope yet:

http://news.yahoo.com/election-pope-francis-fuels-hopes-catholic-reform-140030090.html

Personally, I felt anyone who came after John Paul II was going to live in his shadow, so I didn't have a lot of hope for Benedict XVI. He also seemed very set in his ways.

The first thing I noticed about Pope Francis is that his mannerisms and the tone of his speech were very humble and gentle. He smiled at least once. Though I am no longer Catholic, I find the election of this man very exciting for the Catholic church and the Christian body as a whole. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out, but I'm optimistic that some change will come about as a result.

Interesting article, Amy. Thanks for posting it! Apparently Francis is reform-minded in regard to cleaning up corruption in the Church, but very conservative in matters of doctrine.

I like how he insists on carrying his own bags, paying for his hotel, it will be nice to see how he gives examples to his teaching.

I loved John Paul ll, he wasn't perfect like all of us, but he had a way with the younger people and evoked some vocations from stories I've read.

The church in our lifetime will never say taking a babies life is okay, so the pro-choice group should not expect it, it goes against most church teaching, not just Catholic.
I suspect the best that might happen with gay marriage is just not protesting or condoning. No one will force a religious group to marry gay couples, it shouldn't be their issue.

When I disagreed with some things years ago, I still respected John Paul ll when he said, I believe I'm right, he prayed and he alone had to meet Jesus face to face when he died, not with his fans or enemies or critics. Just him and Jesus. He had to be able to know he did what he felt he would want him to do.

Agree or disagree, I admired that.

Well said, LIttlehouselover. I agree with absolutely everything you wrote, and Cheryl, you too. And I loved John Paul II too, and although I do agree that everyone after him will be in his shadow, I do have a good feeling about Francis.

I'm not Catholic so I hope that this question doesn't seem so dumb but what does it mean by Jesuit priest and what is the difference between him and a regular Catholic priest?

Congrats to my Catholic friends. Pope Francis seems to live a very Christlike life, giving his time to all peoples including those who are most unfortunate.

The differences between orders can be pretty slight, but each one tends to stress one particular thing, like obedience, poverty or penance. From what I've read, the Jesuits place a very high premium on education.

Yes, Jesuit colleges tend to be excellent. Dominican's also believe in education and study a lot.

Why'd they ordinate another old Pope???

I have to admit, it was my first thought...partly because his age was in bold print in all the papers/Internet but in many ways he is "young". I think mostly, he was a good humble man with no real issues and maybe through prayer and reading about him, felt he was what the church needed now.

I'm a dog/Lab lover and I saw he broke protocol by having this gentleman and his guide dog come into a restricted area. Well he is named after St Francis. :)
http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/03/pope-francis-makes-exception-to-bless-guide-dog/

Love this, Littlehouselover. Thanks for sharing it!


As far as being 'older', this pope is strong and heathy, it seems. Had he seemed frail from the get-go, I'd question their sanity in electing him. People are living longer and longer now---he could live to be 100 for all we know, and could do so much good for the world during the years he has left. I would rather have an absolutely fabulous older pope that will make great strides for this earth rather than a young pope who doesn't really fit the bill. I think that's what they were thinking when they elected him.