“Let us begin this journey!”
Today in Rome, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., was elected as Supreme Pontiff, the 265th successor of Peter, choosing the name Francis. Preceded by the Cross, Pope Francis stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter’s basilica and greeted the enormous crowd gathered in the cold and rainy St. Peter's Square, saying:
“Dear brothers and sisters, Bona sera!—Good evening! You know that the duty of the Conclave was to give Rome a bishop. It seems that my brother cardinals picked him from almost the ends of the earth. But here we are! The diocesan community of Rome has its bishop. Thank you!
“First and foremost I would like to say a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord bless him and the Virgin keep him. … And now, let us begin this journey, bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which is the one that leads all the churches in charity—A journey of fraternity, of trust between us. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the world so that this might be a great brotherhood.”
Departing from tradition, the new leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics then said,
“I ask that you pray to the Lord that He bless me: the prayer of the people asking a blessing for their bishop. Let us pray in silence, this your prayer for me.”
Pope Francis then imparted his first apostolic blessing to Rome and to the world—“to all men and women of good will.” His final words on this momentous night were: “Brothers and sisters, I take my leave. Thank you for your warm welcome. Tomorrow I'm going to pray to the Virgin, that she will safeguard all of Rome. Good night and rest well.”
Born of Italian immigrant parents in Buenos Aires, the 76-year-old Argentinean has four brothers and sisters. He is the first Jesuit and the first person from the Americas to be elected Pope, and is also the first non-European pope since the death of Syrian-born Pope Gregory III in 741 AD.
The new pontiff holds a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, which he obtained before joining the Jesuits in 1958. He also holds a degree in philosophy. He taught literature and psychology before being ordained a priest in 1969. He then ministered in Spain and was elected as Head of the Jesuit order in Argentina in 1973, before finishing his doctoral studies in Germany. In 1992, Pope John Paul II ordained Bergoglio a bishop and in 2001, a Cardinal. Pope Francis speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, and German, and has served on a number of councils in the Church, among them the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Cardinal Bergoglio chose to live in a simple apartment rather than the archbishop’s palace, gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of taking the bus to work, and cooked his own meals. In the words of Father Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office, “I am absolutely convinced that we have a Pope who wants to serve. His election was the election of a rejection of power.”
Pope Francis is orthodox on matters of sexual morality, opposing abortion, same-sex marriage, and contraception. On the other hand, he has supported the social justice ethos of Latin America Catholicism, strongly defending the poor, has criticized priests who refuse to baptize babies born to single mothers, and visited a hospice for HIV-AIDS patients to kiss and wash the feet of 12 AIDS sufferers.
Tomorrow (Thursday), the Holy Father will make a private visit to a Rome church to thank Our Lady, and then he will visit Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. The eyes of the world will again return to Rome next Tuesday, March 19th, when Pope Francis will be installed on the feast of St. Joseph, Patriarch of the Universal Church.
So how do you wish a pope well?
“Ad multos annos!—May you live for many years!”
