WE HAVE A POPE!

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from Argentina, was elected to be the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church on
Wednesday, March 13, 2013. He was the archbishop of Buenos Aires and now as the new Pope he took the name
of Francis.

An interesting fact is that Bergoglio is the first head of the Catholic Church ever to come from the Americas
and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.

The choice of a 76-year-old cardinal to be the new pope was a surprise considering that it had been assumed
that the cardinals would select someone younger. However, they chose a man who is more than qualified for the
job, experts account.

The new head of the Catholic Church was born in 1936 and has four siblings, all children of Italian immigrants. In
1958 – when he was only 22 – he started preparing for priesthood. Now, just over 50 years later he will lead the
church that once he joined as a young man.

Francis, the son of middle-class Italian immigrants, is known as a humble man who denied himself luxuries. He
is said to cook his own meals and take public transportation, which clearly contributed to his reputation
for humility. In taking the name Francis, he drew connections to the 13th century St. Francis of Assisi, who saw
his calling as trying to rebuild the church in a time of turmoil. It also evokes images of Francis Xavier, one of the
16th century founders of the Jesuit order that is known for its scholarship and outreach.

The remarkably fast conclave brought the first Jesuit to the papacy, electing Pope Francis as the 266th pontiff
that will lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.