: New pope elected is Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina.

New pope elected is Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina.

New pope ushered in by white smoke at Sistine Chapel | Holy Post | National Post

White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled, signalling the Roman Catholic Church has a new pope.

The smoke was the first sign that the 115 cardinals in the papal conclave elected a new leader for world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

The new pope should appear within a half an hour on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, shortly after the church announces “Habemus Papum” – “We have a pope” and gives the name of the new pontiff.

The first person on the balcony will be Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who will make the announcement and give the new pope’s Latin name.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle9724199/

Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio will be the next pope, the Catholic Church announced Wednesday -- the first pope from the Americas.

Bergoglio, 76, has spent nearly his entire career at home in Argentina, overseeing churches and shoe-leather priests. The archbishop of Buenos Aires reportedly got the second-most votes after Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 papal election, and he has long specialized in the kind of pastoral work that some say is an essential skill for the next pope.

Bergoglio had reportedly finished second in the 2005 conclave that produced Benedict XVI — who last month became the first pope to resign in 600 years. According to the National Catholic Reporter, "Bergoglio's reputation for personal simplicity also exercised an undeniable appeal – a Prince of the Church who chose to live in a simple apartment rather than the archbishop's palace, who gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of taking the bus to work, and who cooked his own meals."

In a lifetime of teaching and leading priests in Latin America, which has the largest share of the world’s Catholics, Bergoglio has shown a keen political sensibility as well as the kind of self-effacing humility that fellow cardinals value highly. Bergoglio is known for modernizing an Argentine church that had been among the most conservative in Latin America.

A humble man with a social conscience. I am liking Pope Francis 1. An incredible presence when he addressed the people.

He has an impossible task ahead of him. But reading just what I have I am impressed by his humility.
What he did in SA.
Not contaminated by the politics of the Vatican.
And a Jesuit.
From what I had read the Cardinals were briefed on a number of serious problems within the church. From abuse, to corruption, including the Vatican Bank to the inner cliques that throw up roadblocks to change.

Perhaps he should retire a small number of these individuals. Sends a very clear message.

Expand the number of Cardinals would be another.

Yes. They say he is a good administrator. Roman wasn't built in a day...lol. A Latin American pope is a good sign. Yes he is a conservative but wow, what a presence and a man who led a simple life, took the bus to work everyday. I just really liked how he presented and smiled, he is charismatic.

[QUOTE=Spade;1719249]"Bergoglio may be basically conservative on many issues, but he's no defender of clerical privilege, or insensitive to pastoral realities. In September 2012, he delivered a blistering attack on priests who refuse to baptize children born out of wedlock, calling it a form of 'rigorous and hypocritical neo-clericalism.'"
-Profile: New pope, Jesuit Bergoglio, was runner-up in 2005 conclave | National Catholic Reporter

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Boy...........that was fast.

That's a surprise. There wasn't much buzz around his name in the runup.

When i first saw him and heard his voice... i was thinking still waters run deep. I nearly fell off my chair when i heard he was a Jesuit. But.. he seems very humble, gentle, prayerful.. a little like JP1 maybe (who lasted 33 days).. but you shouldn't read too much into first impressions.

I do expect he might be of a different archetype than of the socially, ecclesiastically, liturgically and theologically activist ministries JP2 and B16.. in fact most of the Popes of the 20th century.. less confrontational.. less oriented to teaching.. more of worship. Also less focussed on first world apostate culture and more on evangelism in the developing world. Although, in fairness, those issues, especially in the West, are not going to go away.

He seems to be a pope of the 'southern Church'.. driven by passion, in Francis' case a quiet charism.. than of the intense and logical 'reason' of the northern Church. He is also outside the direct intellectual lineage established by B16, was in fact his primary rival in the 2005 Conclave.

The reason the 'Jesuit' surprised me was that for a long time it was thought that the Jesuit constitution precluded election to the Papacy. And frequently the ranks have been filled with free thinking adventurers, intellectual and of missionary zeal. The Superior General of the Jesuits used to be called the Black Pope because of the Society's reputation of Machiavellian politcal intrigues.

'Francis' as well is a first.. leaving no footsteps or trace of Pontifical character and continuity. St. Francis of Assisi maybe.. or St. Francis Xavier.. very different inspirations.

It's all new territory.. i hope... in fact pray.. it all goes well.

He broke the convention and did not follow papal protocol so he is his own man... a good sign.

Not a conservative as many think.

New pope known for modernizing Argentine church - The Globe and Mail

Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio will be known as Francis. He is the first pope to be known by that name, and the first from the Americas.

Bergoglio, 76, has spent nearly his entire career at home in Argentina, overseeing churches and shoe-leather priests. The archbishop of Buenos Aires reportedly got the second-most votes after Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 papal election, and he has long specialized in the kind of pastoral work that some say is an essential skill for the next pope.

In a lifetime of teaching and leading priests in Latin America, which has the largest share of the world’s Catholics, Bergoglio has shown a keen political sensibility as well as the kind of self-effacing humility that fellow cardinals value highly. Bergoglio is known for modernizing an Argentine church that had been among the most conservative in Latin America.

My point And little tolerance for Idiots
New pope known for modernizing Argentine church - The Globe and Mail

Although he is a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage, abortion and contraception, the new pope has show compassion to sufferers of HIV/AIDS and children born out of wedlock, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

“In our ecclesiastical region there are priests who don’t baptize the children of single mothers because they weren’t conceived in the sanctity of marriage,” Bergoglio told his priests.

“These are today’s hypocrites. Those who clericalize the Church. Those who separate the people of God from salvation. And this poor girl who, rather than returning the child to sender, had the courage to carry it into the world, must wander from parish to parish so that it’s baptized!”


My Point -He will also have confront this in Brazil and other countries.

Both men were freed after Bergoglio took extraordinary, behind-the-scenes action to save them — including persuading dictator Jorge Videla’s family priest to call in sick so that he could say Mass in the junta leader’s home, where he privately appealed for mercy. His intervention likely saved their lives, but Bergoglio never shared the details until Rubin interviewed him for the 2010 biography.

Bergoglio — who ran Argentina’s Jesuit order during the dictatorship — told Rubin that he regularly hid people on church property during the dictatorship, and once gave his identity papers to a man with similar features, enabling him to escape across the border. But all this was done in secret, at a time when church leaders publicly endorsed the junta and called on Catholics to restore their “love for country” despite the terror in the streets.

Rubin said failing to challenge the dictators was simply pragmatic at a time when so many people were getting killed, and attributed Bergoglio’s later reluctance to share his side of the story as a reflection of his humility.

If he stood up to Videla's henchmen.. that's all for the good.. because many clerics were deeply sympathetic.. providing moral and material support to the Videla and Pinochet regimes.. a black mark on the Church that remains to this day.

I understand he is s Jesuit Priest. Although somewhat conservative they have a bit of
a liberal streak and they are close to the people. Usually they are not that popular in
Rome for a number of reasons. I am cautiously optimistic that he can steer some of
the changes required. No he won't see a finished blazed trail but he might be starting
down a different road.
We won't see women priests tomorrow bu he may look at it.
I am very pleased they didn't give the job to the Canadian, he is a social conservative
and out of touch with the modern world. This guy is snot tied to the dictators of SA
and he is not part of the see scandals either.

Anyone that thinks the RC Church will change overnight well give the Pope time. Myself I find that I am pleased by the selection of the new Pope. But change for such a large Religion takes time.
Consider that.

He reminds me so much of John Paul I who was also a humble and pious man. Too bad he died after only 30 days in office. My hope is that Pope Francis will be around for a long time to come and bring about the type of reforms envisioned by Pope John and JPI.

I'm not Roman Catholic. I don't even consider myself a Christian anymore. This doesn't affect me for the most part, except in the way I view the RC Church: as one of the largest lobby groups for social conservatism. Because of many of its views, the influence of the Church is declining in our society, and I am OK with that. I admire the charitable works done but I dislike the politicizing from the pulpit that is too common, with their definitions of sin, the Church's refusal to accept women as equal to men, etc. In some ways, I think my view of society is best served by an old school, super conservative who will further isolate and reduce the Church's influence but whatever.

At this point they are in such a mess of scandals it would be wonderful if he could just point them in the right direction. I don't expect to see any great leaps because they move slowly at the best of times but a focus on the poor of the world and cleaning things up from an administrative perspective would be excellent. He appears squeaky clean and he is charismatic.

Pope Francis ‘brings the house down’ at the Vatican with holy humour | Holy Post | National Post

Argentinian archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio is well known for his humility. And with true humility, the kind free of pretension and self-importance, comes humour. Turns out, Pope Francis is actually kind of funny.

Staying true to his humble roots, the new Pope shunned a special car and security detail provided to shuttle him to the Vatican, saying instead “I’ll just go with the guys [cardinals] on the bus,” New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan quoted Pope Francis as saying.

At dinner, Pope Francis “brought the house down” with a toast and an affable air of sincerity and simplicity, Cardinal Dolan said.

“He toasted us and he simply said, ‘May God forgive you,’ which brought the house down. In other words, ‘I hope you don’t regret this later.’”

wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

one negative thing I heard about him on the news. he's against rape abortions. no one should be forced to give birth to rapists children.

That is official church teaching so he must uphold that.

I don't think they should have to either spammy but I won't condemn someone for having the conviction about the innocence and rights of a fetus to think they are all equal in the eyes of god.

Statistically speaking, all of us know at least one child of a rapist, whether they were conceived through rape or not. They'd argue quite strenuously, and I would as well, that they are no less people because of their parentage. So if you consider a person to have been whole when they were conceived, it's pretty hard to remain silent about their death for the sins of their father.

Pope Francis first day: Personally pays for hotel room, thanks staff | World | News | National Post

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as pontiff Thursday, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill himself in a decidedly different style of papacy than his tradition-minded predecessor, who tended to stay ensconced in the frescoed halls of the Vatican.

The break from Benedict XVI’s pontificate was evident even in Francis’ wardrobe choices: He kept the simple pectoral cross of his days as bishop and eschewed the red cape that Benedict wore when he was presented to the world for the first time in 2005 – choosing instead the simple white cassock of the papacy.

The difference in style was a sign of Francis’ belief that the Catholic Church needs to be at one with the people it serves and not imposing its message on a society that often doesn’t want to hear it, Francis’ authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press.

“It seems to me for now what is certain is it’s a great change of style, which for us isn’t a small thing,” Rubin said, recalling how the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio would celebrate Masses with ex-prostitutes in Buenos Aires.

“He believes the church has to go to the streets,” he said, “to express this closeness of the church and this accompaniment with the people who suffer.”

From an article by Rob Burnett in the Mirror; quote:
"And Cardinal Bergoglio has been outspoken in his support for Argentina's claim. “Las Malvinas are ours,” he says.+

Falkland Islands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Falkland Islands (/ˈfɔːlklənd/; Spanish: Islas Malvinas) are an archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about 310 miles (500 kilometres) east of the Patagonian coast at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago which has an area of 4,700 square miles (12,173 square kilometres) comprises East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 smaller islands. The islands, a British Overseas Territory, enjoy a large degree of internal self-government, with the United Kingdom guaranteeing good government and taking responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The capital is Stanley on East Falkland.

Controversy exists over the Falklands' original discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans. At various times there have been French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain re-established its rule in 1833, though the islands continue to be claimed by Argentina. In 1982, following Argentina's invasion of the islands, the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between both countries resulted in the surrender of all Argentine forces and the return of the islands to British administration.

The population, estimated at 2,841, primarily consists of native Falkland Islanders, the vast majority being of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, Gibraltarian, and Scandinavian. Immigration from the United Kingdom, Saint Helena, and Chile has reversed a former population decline. The predominant and official language is English. Under the British Nationality Act of 1983, Falkland Islanders are legally British citizens.

Are you suggesting the Pope should read English-language Wikipedia?

I am sure he can. What claim does Argentina have.

This is not entirely true. The US Catholic Bishops Conference has in the past lobbied for progressive legislation and against war. According to Huffington (which is certainly not a right wing source) it has sided with Dems more often than with Republicans.:

Julie Leininger Pycior: U.S. Catholic Bishops Side With Dems, Not GOP, on Main Issues of 2012


While it has openly professed these progressives views it has only suggested, not enforced any of these rulings and the church membership has been free to do as it pleases rather than obey them.

The Pope feels the claim is legitimate. I am simply quoting Burnett's quote.

The British took the Malvinas after 1823 thereby violating the Monroe Doctrine which, ironically, was endorsed by England.

Monroe who cares. Does not apply.
Falkland Islands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Controversy exists as to who first discovered the Falkland Islands, with competing Portuguese, Spanish and British claims from the 16th century.[13][14] While Amerindians from Patagonia could have visited the Falklands,[15] the islands were uninhabited when discovered by Europeans.[16] The first reliable sighting is usually attributed to the Dutch explorer Sebald de Weert in 1600, who named the archipelago the Sebald Islands, a name they bore on Dutch maps into the 19th century.[17]

In 1690, Captain John Strong of the Welfare en route to Puerto Deseado was driven off course and reached the Falkland Islands instead, landing at Bold Cove. Sailing between the two principal islands, he called the passage "Falkland Channel" (now Falkland Sound), after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland, who as Commissioner of the Admiralty had financed the expedition. The island group takes its English name from this body of water.[18]

In 1764, French navigator and military commander Louis Antoine de Bougainville founded the first settlement on Berkeley Sound, in present-day Port Louis, East Falkland.[19] In 1765, British captain John Byron explored and claimed Saunders Island on West Falkland, where he named the harbour Port Egmont and a settlement was constructed in 1766.[20] Unaware of the French presence, Byron claimed the island group for King George III. Spain acquired the French colony in 1767, and placed it under a governor subordinate to the Buenos Aires colonial administration. In 1770, Spain attacked Port Egmont and expelled the British presence, bringing the two countries to the brink of war. War was avoided by a peace treaty and the British return to Port Egmont.[21]

Are you arguing with the Pope?