Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the next elected Bishop of Rome who serves as Pope of the Catholic Church.
The announcement came Wednesday in the Vatican City in front of a St. Peter’s Square filled with tens of thousands of people on only the second day of behind closed doors voting from the 115 cardinal electors.
The 76 year old from Buenos Aires, Argentina will be called Pope Francis I and becomes the first Pope from South America and from outside Europe.
“The duty of the conclave was to appoint a Bishop of Rome and it seems to me that my brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am,” said Pope Francis I during his speech from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Monsignor Edward Sadie with the Charleston Catholic Church was a guest on Wednesday’s 58-Live and said there are several things that are significant with this pope selection. One obviously deals with Pope Francis I being from Argentina, but another deals with how fast he was chosen.
“That shows the bishops were pretty much in agreement early on that his qualities were what they were looking for in a new Pope,” said Sadie.
Francis was elected on the fifth ballot, which is one of the fastest conclaves in years, especially considering there was no clear front-runner going into Wednesday’s vote and that the church had been in turmoil following Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise resignation last month.
Benedict became the first pope to resign in 600 years. He was elected in 2005 on the fourth ballot. Bergoglio reportedly finished second in the election.
In addition to where he is from and how fast he was elected, Sadie also believes there is significances in the name he chose.
“The fact that he took the name Francis indicates his love for the poor and his ideas that the church has to continue keeping the poor upper most in our minds,” said Sadie.
Francis is a member of the Jesuit community, which is one of the religious orders in the Catholic Church, and Sadie believes his election will do great things for the Jesuits.
“They like other groups have been diminishing in numbers and I can’t help but think that this might be a shot in the arm for the Jesuits and their ministries throughout the world,” said Sadie.
But Sadie adds that people from all religions have reasons to be excited with Pope Francis I being elected.
Reverend Michael J. Bransfield of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston released a statement Wednesday following the announcement in which he said it’s one of the best surprises he could expect.
“Catholics should be very grateful to the Holy Spirit for this choice. Pope Francis represents a selection that has the universal church in mind, not just regional preferences. He is the first Pope from either of the Americas,” said Bransfield. “This couldn’t have happened in the 20th century but it has in the 21st century. This historic choice shows that the Cardinals were as concerned about the world as they are the Vatican.”
Before his election, Pope Francis I served as the longtime archbishop of Buenos Aires.