Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Named New Pope
It's now official and released! The new Pope has been elected and the cardinals have selected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina to be the next Pope! Very exciting news for all Catholics here, and again, CONGRATULATIONS are in order for all Catholics! So congrats!
The white smoke emerged from the top of the Sistine Chapel around 1pm CST today, signifying the election of the new Pope.
"About an hour later, Bergoglio arrived at St. Peter's square. He will take the papal name Pope Francis I. From the balcony, Pope Francis said the following (according to an English translation): "As you know, the duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop of Rome. It seems to me that my brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am. I would like to thank you for your embrace, also to ... the bishops, thank you very much. First and foremost, I would like to pray for our emeritus pope, Benedict XVI. Let us pray all of us together … so that he's blessed by the lord and guarded."
Bergoglio is the first pope from outside of Europe in the modern era, the first South American pope, and the third straight non-Italian pope.
Choosing the name Francis is powerful and ground breaking, CNN's Vatican expert John Allen says. The name parallels one of the most venerated figures in the Roman Catholic Church, St. Francis of Assisi. Allen described the name of Pope Francis as "the most stunning" choice and "precedent shattering."
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