Francis calls for peace on his first Easter as pope
Dressed in white, Pope Francis greeted a sea of Catholics carrying flags from around the world Sunday in his first Easter Mass as pope.
Dressed in white, Pope Francis greeted a sea of Catholics carrying flags from around the world Sunday in his first Easter Mass as pope.
The name parallels one of the most venerated figures in the Roman Catholic Church, St. Francis of Assisi.
Until last year, Bergoglio was the archbishop of Buenos Aires; he is 76.
The next pope who will lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics was elected Wednesday by cardinals in what was apparently their 5th round of voting on the second day of their conclave.
Jorge Bergoglio, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, took the name Francis shortly after being elected by cardinals.
Black smoke rose Tuesday from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new pope has not been selected.
The Catholic cardinals gathered in Rome voted Friday to begin the secret election, or conclave, to elect a new pope next Tuesday afternoon.
Catholic cardinals have met for a second day Tuesday at the Vatican, but have not yet set a timetable for selecting a new pope.
“The role has changed, he’s a much more publically visible figure,” Father Daniel Brady, pastor at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, said.
President Obama is taking public comment on the proposal until April 8th.