Jorge Mario Bergoglio is world's first pope from Americas

14 March, 2013

Thousands of Catholics flocked to the Vatican City last night to witness Jorge Mario Bergoglio's unveiling as Pope Francis I. Pope Francis, 76, is also the church's first ever leader born outside Europe. He came out to the central balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, as a sign of completion of the elections.

Pope Francis I is the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church and is going to lead the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. The announcement was made by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, in Latin saying, “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam” which means, 'we announce to you a great joy. We have a pope'. He is the 266th pontiff in the church’s 2,000-year history, elected at a time of great crisis and difficulty.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina was born to Mario José Bergoglio, a railway worker, and his wife Regina María Sívori, a housewife, were Italian immigrants. He graduated from a technical school as a chemical technician and then received a Master's degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires. At the age of 21, he decided to pursue an ecclesiastical career and became a priest.

Bergoglio entered the Society of Jesus on 11 March 1958 and studied at Jesuit seminary in Villa Devoto, and then started to teach literature and psychology at a high school. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 December 1969 by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. He then attended a seminar on Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel and obtained a position of novice master there, and became professor of theology.

Bergoglio was ordained as Titular Bishop of Auca. Then Archbishop Bergoglio was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II with a title of cardinal-priest of San Roberto Bellarmino. As a cardinal, he was appointed to several administrative positions. Cardinal Bergoglio was known for personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and a commitment to social justice.

Bergoglio is also believed to have been the runner-up in 2005 conclave, which yielded Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. He has chosen a new name which was never used in the church's 2000 year history. This is a signal that he wants a new beginning for the faith. Marco Politi, a papal biographer and veteran Vatican watcher told Washington Post, “It’s a genius move. It’s a non-Italian, non-European, not a man of the Roman government. It’s an opening to the Third World, a moderate. By taking the name Francis, it means a completely new beginning.”