Pope Francis 1 Steps up to the Plate

White smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel after cardinals choose a new leader of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis

 

 Cardinal Bergoglio is greeted on the balcony above St Peter's Square

 

 Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio greeted the crowds in Rome's St Peter's Square after his election as the Catholic Church's new Pope. Appearing on a balcony over the square, he asked the faithful to pray for him. Cheers erupted as he gave a blessing.

The first Latin American and the first Jesuit to be pontiff, he will call himself Francis I. An hour earlier, white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney announced the new Pope's election. Pope Francis, 76, replaces Benedict XVI, who resigned last month at the age of 85, saying he was not strong enough to lead the Church. He telephoned Benedict and is planning to meet him, a Vatican spokesman was quoted as saying.

 

There was elation on a rain-strewn St Peter's Square as the white smoke billowed from the rusty chimney. Umbrellas bounced and flags swayed as the basilica bells rang out.The crowd swelled to seventy thousand as Rome converged on the square, priests and pilgrims running to catch a glimpse of their new leader.

 "Viva il papa!" they chanted, as they waited to learn his name. Once the crowd had been told, the chants quickly turned to: "Fran-ces-co! Fran-ces-co!" And then, to trumpet fanfare, the balcony curtains parted and the new Pope appeared above them, to bless them - but only after he had asked them to pray with him, and for him. The people were touched, and roared their approval.

Pope Francis began his address to the crowds by offering a prayer for this predecessor. He went on to ask the crowd to "pray to God so that he can bless me," before calling on the world to set off on a path of love and fraternity.

 "Habemus Papam Franciscum," was the first tweet by the papal account @pontifex since Benedict stood down last month. The election was met with thunderous applause at the cathedral in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis' home city. Throughout Latin America, people reacted with delight and surprise.
 

"It's a huge gift for all of Latin America. We waited 20 centuries. It was worth the wait," said Jose Antonio Cruz, a Franciscan friar in the Puerto Rican capital San Juan, quoted by the Associated Press. Everyone from Canada down to Patagonia is going to feel blessed. This is an event."

President Obama sent "warm wishes" on behalf of the American people to the newly elected pontiff, hailing the Argentine as "the first pope from the Americas." Correspondents say Cardinal Bergoglio was a surprise choice and not a front runner anong the few candidates. Many observers were also expecting a younger pope to be elected.

He is regarded as a conservative, but is known for his humility. He has spent almost his entire career in Argentina and often travels to work by bus.  Cardinal Bergoglio's sermons always had an impact in Argentina and he often stressed social inclusion and indirectly criticized governments that did not pay attention to those on the margins of society.

The name he has taken is reminiscent of St Francis of Assisi, the 13th Century Italian reformer and patron saint of animals, who lived in poverty. The saint was said to have been summoned by God to repair a Church in ruins.

Cardinal Bergoglio is generally thought to have come second in the last conclave in 2005, which elected Benedict XVI as Pope. The 115 cardinals involved in the 2013 election were in isolation since Tuesday afternoon, and held four inconclusive votes. At least 77 of them, or two-thirds, would have had to vote for a single candidate for him to be elected Pope.

 Pope Francis  seems to be a humble and simple man of the people. He has inherited a somewhat corrupt Holy See. It is hoped he will bring order and tranquility back to the church.

Pope Francis

• Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 (age 76) in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent
• Ordained as a Jesuit in 1969
• Studied in Argentina and Germany
• Became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998
• Seen as orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice