"We have a Pope"
About an hour ago, white smoke billowed out of the chimney located on the top of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City to announce that the College of Cardinals, in Conclave, had elected the 266th Pope who will serve as the head of the Vatican City Nation State and will speak with the authority of God for 1.2 billion members of the Catholic Church world wide.
76 year old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected Pope and appeared for the first time on the balcony of St Peters in Rome as Pope Francis I.
Glad tidings to the world as the Pope made his first "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City - Rome - and the World) blessing.
Pope Francis is the first Pope to be born outside of Europe since the 8th Century. His native language as a Latino will be welcome to Latinos, the largest population segment in the Catholic Church. And yet his Father was an Italian immigrant to Argentina so Pope Francis also speaks fluent Italian. His impact on the crowd in St Peter's Square was electric.
It is too early to evaluate the impact of this man on the Church and the world. The news media indicates that he was a serious contender for election upon the death of Pope John Paul II when the Conclave eventually chose German born Pope Benedict XVI. He has a reputation as a reformer and a man of the people.
I am not Catholic, but I am a student of history and politics and I appreciate the unique blend of politics and theology. Both as a political Head of State and as a singular Head of the Church, the Pope represents an unbroken line of more than two thousand years of tradition. It appears to me that the College of Cardinals has set a new course for the Church with his election.
additional details: http://news.yahoo.com/francis-first-pope-americas-193844474.html
Comments(9)