habemus papam!

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the cardinal from Argentina, was elected yesterday as the new pontiff to lead the Roman Catholic Church. Like other Filipinos around the world, a part of me was rooting for Archbishop Tagle...but honestly, I didn’t really think he would be chosen because of his young age and experience compared to the others.

I don’t know any of the other candidates, but I’m glad that the successor of Pope Benedict XVI is one who is very humble and modest. When he was an archbishop, Pope Francis opted to live in an apartment, cook his own meals, and ride the bus to work. Such a cool guy! I seriously doubt he’ll be able to live simply anymore now that he’s Pope, but it’s good to know that despite his high stature, he chose to be “reachable” and in the same level of God’s people in Argentina.

Pope Francis is quickly becoming famous for being the “Pope of Many Firsts:”
• First pontiff from the Americas
• First South American pope, representing the largest Catholic population in the world
• First Jesuit pope
• First pope to pick the name Francis
• First pope to be elected after a papal resignation in the modern era

And, by not following tradition, instead of blessing the crowd in St. Peter’s Square first, he asked for their prayers instead. I also like that he refused to use the platform to elevate himself above the cardinals when he was introduced to the world. It just shows how humble he really is...a great choice as the new leader of the Catholic Church.