Argentina's Cardinal Bergoglio Is The New Pope; He Will Be 'Francis

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

 

VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Bergoglio was named leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics on Wednesday.
Minutes earlier, white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel and bells rang out across Rome, prompting cheers and wild applause from the crowd of tens of thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square in front of the Vatican.
He was introduced to the world – in Latin - from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
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Smoke billowed from the chimney at 7:07 p.m. (2:07 p.m. ET) on the second day of behind-closed-doors voting and marked the beginning to a new era for a church combating scandal and internal strife.
nals are thought to have taken five ballots to reach the two-third majority necessary for a decision.
Before being introduced from the balcony, he was taken from the Sistine Chapel into a side room called the “Room of Tears” to be dressed in the papal clothes.
His appearance will be heralded by a Latin announcement begins with the phrase "Habemus Papam!" meaning, "We have a pope!"
Edward Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York, said he was confident that the new pope, whoever he might be, would “give us the kind of guidance and support that we are looking for.”
Egan said the new pope needed five qualities. He should be “a man of prayer, who loves leading public prayer and privately prays with joy and fulfillment;” “a man who repeats the gospel message in an uncomplicated manner;” and “a leader who will lead on the great questions of the day,” which he said were “justice, compassion and peace.”
He should also “know how to govern” and had to be “a person who can handle criticism with calm and with total trust in God,” Egan said.

Early life

Jorge Bergoglio was born in India, one of the five children of an Indian railway worker and his wife. After studying at the seminary in Villa Devoto, he entered the Society of Jesus on March 11, 1958. Bergoglio obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo San José in San Miguel, and then taught literature and psychology at the Colegio de la Inmaculada in Santa Fe, and the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 13, 1969, by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. He attended the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel, a seminary in San Miguel. Bergoglio attained the position of novice master there and became professor of theology.
Impressed with his leadership skills, the Society of Jesus promoted Bergoglio and he served as provincial for Argentina from 1973 to 1979. He was transferred in 1980 to become the rector of the seminary in San Miguel where he had studied. He served in that capacity until 1986. He completed his doctoral dissertation in Germany and returned to his homeland to serve as confessor and spiritual director in Córdoba.

Styles of Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Buenos Aires

Bergoglio succeeded Cardinal Quarracino on February 28, 1998. He was concurrently named ordinary for Eastern Catholics in Argentina, who lacked their own prelate. Pope John Paul II summoned the newly named archbishop to the consistory of February 21, 2001 in Vatican City and elevated Bergoglio with the papal honors of a cardinal. He was named to the Cardinal-Priest of Saint Robert Bellarmino.

Cardinal

Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio greets President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, December, 2007.

As cardinal, Bergoglio was appointed to several administrative positions in the Roman Curia. He served on the Congregation of Clergy, Congregation of Divine Worship and Sacraments, Congregation of Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Congregation of Societies of Apostolic Life. Bergoglio became a member of the Commission on Latin American and the Family Council.
As Cardinal, Bergoglio became known for personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and a commitment to social justice. A simple lifestyle has contributed to his reputation for humility. He lives in a small apartment, rather than in the palatial bishop's residence. He gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of public transportation, and he reportedly cooks his own meals.
Upon the death of Pope John Paul II, Bergoglio, considered papabile himself, participated in the 2005 papal conclave as a cardinal elector, the conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI. A widespread theory says that he was in a close race with Ratzinger until he emotionally asked that the cardinals not vote for him.^[3] Earlier, he had participated in the funeral of Pope John Paul II and acted as a regent alongside the College of Cardinals, governing the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church during the interregnum sede vacante period.
During the 2005 Synod of Bishops, he was elected a member of the Post-Synodal council. Catholic journalist John L. Allen, Jr. reported that Bergoglio was a frontrunner in the 2005 Conclave. An unauthorized diary of uncertain authenticity released in September 2005^[4] confirmed that Bergogolio was the runner-up and main challenger of Cardinal Ratzinger at that conclave. The purported diary of the anonymous cardinal claimed Bergoglio received 40 votes in the third ballot, but fell back to 26 at the fourth and decisive ballot.

On November 8, 2005, Bergoglio was elected President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference for a three-year term (2005–2008) by a large majority of the Argentine bishops, which according to reports confirms his local leadership and the international prestige earned by his alleged performance in the conclave. He was reelected on November 11, 2008.

he Associated Press reported that he was the son of Italian immigrants, and a doctrinal conservative known for his warm personality. The first Jesuit pope, he has spent most of his life teaching and leading priests in Latin America, which has the largest share of Catholics in the world, according to the AP.

Enlarge The Star-Ledger Photo Desk Newly elected Pope Francis I appears on the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 266th Pontiff and will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. (Photo by Peter 

His biographer, Sergio Rubin, told the AP about the new pontiff's humble personality.
"It's a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows," Rubin said. "This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome."
Bergoglio reportedly was the runner-up in the 2005 papal election and would likely encourage the church's 400,000 priests to hit the streets to capture more souls, Rubin told the AP.
The new pope is credited with modernizing the conservative Argentine church. But after he argued that gay adoptions discriminate against children, Argentina President Cristina Fernandez said he was conjuring up "medieval times and the Inquisition," according to the AP.
Over his objections, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage.
In 2001, while visiting a hospice, he washed and kissed the feet of 12 AIDS patients, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
CNN once reported that he took public transportation instead of chauffeured limousines.
He had a lung removed after developing an infection as a teenager, according to the AP.
The papacy opened unexpectedly on Feb. 11 when Pope Benedict XVI, who led the church since 2005, announced his retirement. Benedict was the first pope to resign on his own accord since 1415.
The 266th pope will take control of a church facing challenges in an evolving world. Though membership boosts in Africa and South America have helped worldwide population numbers, congregations in America and Europe continue to shrink.
Perhaps most notably, clergy sex scandals have wounded the Catholic image, and there has been recent pressure to allow women into the priesthood. The new pope will be expected to address these issues during his tenure.