Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected as a New Pope. He is the 266th pope.
“Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great spirit of fraternity,” Pope Francis said.
Bergoglio is the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope, was announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam” (“I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope.”)
He is the first pope to chose “Francis” as his name. He is also the first non-European pope since the 8th century.Like St. Francis himself, Bergoglio is known for his simple lifestyle and personal humility.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires.His father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife.
Bergoglio entered the Society of Jesus on 11 March 1958 and studied to become a priest at the Jesuit seminary in Villa Devoto.In 1967, Bergoglio finished his theological studies and was ordained to the priesthood on 13 December 1969, by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano.In 1998 he became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and in 2001 a cardinal.
The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first ballot and four ballots were held on Wednesday.Francis obtained the required two thirds majority in the fifth ballot.
The Vatican said his inaugural mass would be held on March 19.
10 Interesting Facts About Pope Francis
1.He is the first pope from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than 1,000 years.
2.He is the first Jesuit to be named a pope.
3.He has chosen the name Francis — the first time in papal history
4.He has only one lung. The other was removed after an infection when he was a teenager.
5.During the last conclave in 2005, he was reportedly the runner-up to the man he is now succeeding, Benedict XVI.
6.He is known for his commitment to social justice. However, he is strongly opposed to same-sex marriage, abortion, and euthanasia
7.The new pope is known for his humble lifestyle. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he rides a bus to work, wears an ordinary priest’s robe and lives with an older priest in a simple apartment where he cooks his own meals, rather than live at the luxurious residence .For this reason he is seen by many to be a very humble and very holy man. He also regularly visited the slums outside the city.
8.Pope Francis is renowned for his 2001 visit to a hospice, where he kissed and washed the feet of AIDS patients.
9.He is a trained chemist.He has written books on spirituality and meditation.
10.He speaks Spanish, Italian and German.
