HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM!

His Holiness Pope Francis

Wednesday was a historic day for 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world.  Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected the 266th Pope and took the name Francis.  He instantly became unprecedented in a number of ways.

Francis was born December 17, 1936.  A native of Buenos Aires, he is the son of Italian immigrants. He is the first Pope in history to come from the Western Hemisphere and also the first to come from South America.  He is the first non-European to be elected in almost 1,300 years.  The last non-European to become Pope was Gregory III in 731.  Gregory was a native of Syria.

A Jesuit, he is the first member of his order to be elected Pope, and the first member of any religious order to be elected in nearly two centuries.  He is also the first pontiff to assume the name Francis. He chose this name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.

These Sistine seagulls were a hit on social media while the faithful waited. 

The long-awaited moment. A Pope has been elected!

Francis is an appropriate name for a Pope who as an archbishop was known for devotion to the poor and his personal choice of humble living.  After becoming archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, he moved out of the traditional archbishop's palace, preferring instead to live in an apartment. He is also known to cook his own meals and does not use the services of a chauffeur, instead riding the bus.  Just before Easter 1999, he went to a Buenos Aires hospital and washed the feet of 12 AIDS patients.

Like so many, I had assumed that the conclave would select Archbishop Scola of Milan.  It was a pleasant surprise when the announcement came that Archbishop Bergoglio had been chosen instead.  I think loads of people who weren't even aware of him instantly fell in love with him when he came to the balcony dressed completely in white and without ornaments.  He had me at "buono sera."

God bless our new Holy Father, Francis, as he begins his labors!