Pope Francis, first South American Pope

E. Weerapperuma

Cardinal Jorge Mario Borgogio SJ, 76 of Argentina was elected as the New Pope, Pope Francis, to shepherd 1.2 billion Catholics around the world.

The College of Cardinals numbering 115 elected their colleague Cardinal , a Member of the Society of Jesus, the Head of the Latin American Church, at the fifth round of voting held on the second day of the Conclave on March 13. The Pope - elect had chosen “Francis One’ as his name during his Pontificate. The New Pope will go down in history as the First South American Pope to lead the Church as the 265th successor St. Peter, the First Pope.

His election marks as the first ever non-European Pope in more than 1,200 years with the last been Pope Gregory III of Syria, who died in 741AD.

The election was a surprise with the emergence of a Pope from the Southern hemisphere drawing attention to the shifting demographics of the Roman Catholic faith.

After the announcement was made by French Cardinal Proto- Deacon Jean- Louis Pierre Tauran “Habemus Papum”, - We have a Pope and the Pontiff being led to the Windows of the Balcony over looking St. Peter’s Square to present him to the world for the first time, as Pope to the cheering crowd. The Pope elect greeting the crowed in Italina language “ Buonansera - meaning “ good evening” and thanking them asked the crowd to pray for him and to join Him in praying for “our bishop emeritus” Benedict XVI. After recitation of prayers, the Pope urged the world to set off on the Path of Love.

” Let us pray for each other. Let us pray for the entire world, because there is great brotherhood, in the world”,.. Francis continued.

Referring to being elected as the Supreme Head of the Church , Pope Francis said in lighter vein” You know that the duty of a conclave

is to give a bishop to Rome. But it seems that my brother Cardinals went to the end of of the world to find one. Thank you for the welcome”.

The Vatican said in a brief press briefing Wednesday night that shortly after his election the new Pope had phoned retired Pope Benedict.

Pope Francis was expected to have Mass with the cardinals who elected him Thursday and will then have Mass with all of the cardinals today.

On Saturday, he will host an audience for the more than 6,000 journalists who came from around the world to cover the Conclave. On

The New Pope will go down in history as the First South American Pope to take over charge of Vatican. He is the 266th Pope beginning from the First Pope St.Peter.

It is reported that Pope Francis, who was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires lived and served his entire priestly career in Argentina overseeing the churches received the second most number of votes after Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 Papal Conclave. Latin America has the largest share of the world’s Catholics.