A Latin American Pope

By Taylor Pineda

Many in the Argentine community are proud that the Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio will be the first pope from Latin America. For some American Catholics there is hope for reform and a revival of the Roman Catholic Church. They are hoping the new pope can fill more seats at mass and reach out to younger generations.

The first ever pope from the Western Hemisphere  chose the name Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi, the humble friar who dedicated his life to helping the poor. The first words from the pope suggested change. The pope began his speech with, “Brothers and sisters good evening, I want you to bless me.”

Pope Francis began his first morning as pontiff by praying Thursday at Rome’s main basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where he entered the St. Mary Major Basilica. He did so before a crowd of some 100,000 people packed in rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square just after his election

The new pope’s official inauguration as Bishop of Rome will take place in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday. Many people wonder who Pope Francis will pick as Secretary of State, the number two position at the Vatican. His own background is not that of a Vatican insider, but rather a member of Jesuit order, and this  could impact his choice. He does have conservative views on birth control and women’s rights, which some may not agree with.

Francis is the first Jesuit pope, first pope from the Americas, and first non-European since the Middle Ages. This election elated Latin Americans, who make up 40 percent of the world’s Catholics.  On Wednesday, the streets of Buenos Aires were filled with people celebrating.

“Many are happy over the commonness the pope presents, feeling they can relate to Pope Francis. The son of middle-class Italian immigrants, he denied himself the luxuries that previous cardinals in Buenos Aires enjoyed. He lived in a simple apartment, often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited slums that ring Argentina’s capital,” mentioned a CBS news report.

Pope Francis progressive attitudes on social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, are thought to be essential to the church.

“As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than 2,000 years that in each other, we see the face of God,” U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.

As the 266th pope, Pope Francis inherits a Catholic Church in turmoil that many hope he can rid it of, and rejuvenate Catholicism’s following.