Catholics cheer first Latin American pope
Source: Agencies |
March 15, 2013, Friday
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LATIN America's Roman Catholics rejoiced that the new Pope Francis is one of their own, while elsewhere the world has hailed him as a humble champion of the poor and wished him the strength to lead the Church out of crisis.
Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as pontiff yesterday, 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.
A Vatican spokesman acknowledged the difference in style, attributing it to Francis' life work as the pastor of Buenos Aires whereas Benedict was long an academic.
The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio began his first day as pope making an early morning visit in a simple Vatican car to a Roman basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary and prayed before an icon of the Madonna. He had told a crowd of some 100,000 people packed in rain-soaked St. Peter's Square just after his election that he intended to pray to the Madonna "that she may watch over all of Rome."
Commentators said Francis had a reputation for being as conservative as his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, but Latin American Catholics celebrated the fact that the cardinals had, in his words, gone "to the end of the world" to find him.
"A Latino is more open to others, while a European is more closed," said 75-year-old Ana Solis at Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral in Chile. "A change like this will be very important for us Latin Americans."
Latin America is home to 42 percent of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and the election of Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio ended nearly 1,300 years of popes born in Europe.
The choice of papal name in tribute to the mediaeval Saint Francis of Assisi, known for a life of poverty and simplicity, also suggested an emphasis on humility from a man known at home for cooking his own meals and travelling by bus.
For Protestants, whose Christian forebears broke with Rome 500 years ago, wrote to Francis saying: "We are touched by your humility ... The name you have chosen is a sign for us that attention to the plight of the poor and justice for all people will be important for you."
Francis must tackle crises caused by child abuse by priests and the leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church - trouble that Benedict, at age 85, declared was beyond his physical capabilities.
Some questioned whether Francis, the 76-year-old son of an Italian immigrant railway worker, was too old to lead a Church that needs to attract younger worshippers to fill emptying pews. But his compatriot Father Emmanuel Alfonso said: "This is a radical change. The majority of Catholics live outside Europe and we have been praying for this."
Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as pontiff yesterday, 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.
A Vatican spokesman acknowledged the difference in style, attributing it to Francis' life work as the pastor of Buenos Aires whereas Benedict was long an academic.
The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio began his first day as pope making an early morning visit in a simple Vatican car to a Roman basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary and prayed before an icon of the Madonna. He had told a crowd of some 100,000 people packed in rain-soaked St. Peter's Square just after his election that he intended to pray to the Madonna "that she may watch over all of Rome."
Commentators said Francis had a reputation for being as conservative as his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, but Latin American Catholics celebrated the fact that the cardinals had, in his words, gone "to the end of the world" to find him.
"A Latino is more open to others, while a European is more closed," said 75-year-old Ana Solis at Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral in Chile. "A change like this will be very important for us Latin Americans."
Latin America is home to 42 percent of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and the election of Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio ended nearly 1,300 years of popes born in Europe.
The choice of papal name in tribute to the mediaeval Saint Francis of Assisi, known for a life of poverty and simplicity, also suggested an emphasis on humility from a man known at home for cooking his own meals and travelling by bus.
For Protestants, whose Christian forebears broke with Rome 500 years ago, wrote to Francis saying: "We are touched by your humility ... The name you have chosen is a sign for us that attention to the plight of the poor and justice for all people will be important for you."
Francis must tackle crises caused by child abuse by priests and the leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church - trouble that Benedict, at age 85, declared was beyond his physical capabilities.
Some questioned whether Francis, the 76-year-old son of an Italian immigrant railway worker, was too old to lead a Church that needs to attract younger worshippers to fill emptying pews. But his compatriot Father Emmanuel Alfonso said: "This is a radical change. The majority of Catholics live outside Europe and we have been praying for this."
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