Pope Francis

Pope Francis, formerly Jorge Cardinal Bergolio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was announced as the 265th Successor of Saint Peter. He is 76 years old and his pontificate marks a few firsts. He is the first pope from the Americas, the first Latin American and the first Jesuit pope.

I was moved by his humility in asking first that the people bless him before he gave his blessing to them. Thousands (200,000+) of people standing and kneeling in the square were silent as he bowed his head to receive their blessing. He also began with prayer, leading the people in praying the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. He also issued a plenary indulgence for all those who watched or listened in person or on media.

For some reason, our new Holy Father reminds me of Pope Paul VI.

I am sure we will be hearing more about our new pope in the hours and days ahead. For now you can visit these links for more information:

• Plenary Indulgence, Happy Catholic
• 10 Facts About Pope Francis, Dr. Taylor Marshall
• Habemus Papam! Pope Francis, Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction
• Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio elected Pope Francis, Catholic World News
• New Pope was Runner-Up in 2005, John Allen