WELCOME TO NEW POPE FRANCIS
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, now Pope Francis the first, has been declared as the new Pope and head of the Catholic Church. He is the Church's 266th Pope.
His name was announced on the Vatican balcony on March 13 shortly after white smoke was released for the crowds gathered in St Peter's square indicating that the Papal Conclave had reached a decision.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio (76) is the very first non-European cardinal chosen since Peter, the very first Pope.
Bergoglio has chosen to name himself Francis after St Francis of Assisi, who was a leader of the Jesuit order. He succeeds Pope Benedict XVI who resigned from the post on February 28. According to reports, he had been the runner up choice for Pope when Benedict had been elected.
People who know Jorge Mario Bergoglio say that he is a humble man, who took the bus to work, cooked his own meal and visited the slums in Argentina often
- Source : AFP
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