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We have a pope!


PrairieSong
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http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/13/new-pope-thirteen-key-facts

 

 

What we know about Pope Francis

• He likes to travel by bus.

• He has lived for more than 50 years with one functioning lung. He had the other removed as a young man because of infection.

• He is the son of an Italian railway worker.

• He trained as a chemist.

• He is the first non-European pope in the modern era.

• He claims that adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children but believes that condoms "can be permissible" to prevent infection.

• In 2001 he washed and kissed the feet of Aids patients in a hospice.

• He speaks fluent Italian, as well as Spanish and German.

• Until now he has been living in a small flat, eschewing a formal bishop's residence.

• He told Argentinians not to travel to Rome to celebrate if he was appointed but to give their money to the poor instead.

• He is believed to have been the runner-up in the last papal conclave in 2005.

• He has co-written a book, in Spanish, called Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra (On Heaven and Earth). You can buy it on Kindle.

• Though conservative on church doctrine, he has criticised priests who refuse to baptise babies born to single mothers.

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Being he's a Jesuit, I would have thought St. Francix Xavier. Either way...

 

 

That's what I figured, too. Cardinal Dolan reported first that Bergoglio announced it as, "I choose the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi." And, then, later, a Vatican spokesperson also confirmed it.

 

Definitely true that you can't really go wrong with either Francis

 

It's been fun to watch his Wikipedia page explode over the course of the afternoon.

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I'm very pleased with the choice... and not just because I was right about it being someone from South America this time around (my dh and I had been debating about that!) but because he seems to be a genuinely good, kind, and honest man.

 

And as silly as this sounds, he has a kind and gentle expression.

 

Also, Francis is my favorite saint, so I love the choice of names (and the symbolism of it, as well.)

 

My first thought when he stepped out was that he looks like my Grandpa.

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Not a Catholic (yet) but the boys and I watched and I had the opportunity to explain a lot of things, and they got to practice their Latin a bit.

I was impressed that he asked the people to pray for him almost right out of the curtains. I was even more impressed that he spoke and the square got so quiet you could hear the rain falling.

 

St. Francis is my favorite saint, naturally, so that was nice to hear that he wanted to take that name in honor of St. Francis.

 

Isn't it neat? I told the boys that although Christians are a mighty big, often quarrelsome family, on a day when a Pope is elected somehow it feels like being a big happy family.

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He will be installed not on Sunday (which has been usual the last few times) but on Tuesday--the Feast of St. Joseph. That's a big day for our family and, though we aren't Italian, we belong to an Italian parish so it's a big day there as well with extra Masses. And not to mention that we now have even more reason to not feel guilty about gorging on Zeppoles from the Italian bakery.

 

Dh is pointing out that, if you read the translation of his remarks from the balcony, he went out of his way over and over and over to call himself the Bishop of Rome. Of course, the Pope is always the Bishop of Rome. But he went out of his way to such an extent that we wonder if he is really thinking differently about his papacy. I'm really excited to see what lies ahead.

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/extreme_poverty_is_also_a_violation_of_human_rights_says_argentinean_cardinal/

 

Cardinal Bergoglio said the challenge to eradicate poverty could not be truthfully met as long as the poor continue to be dependents of the State. The government and other organizations should instead work to create the social conditions that will promote and protect the rights of the poor and enable them to be the builders of their own future, he explained.

 

The problem of debt and social justice must be of concern to every sector of society, he added, including leaders in government, politics, finance, business, agriculture, industry, unions, the Church and other social organizations.

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He will be installed not on Sunday (which has been usual the last few times) but on Tuesday--the Feast of St. Joseph. That's a big day for our family and, though we aren't Italian, we belong to an Italian parish so it's a big day there as well with extra Masses. And not to mention that we now have even more reason to not feel guilty about gorging on Zeppoles from the Italian bakery.

 

Dh is pointing out that, if you read the translation of his remarks from the balcony, he went out of his way over and over and over to call himself the Bishop of Rome. Of course, the Pope is always the Bishop of Rome. But he went out of his way to such an extent that we wonder if he is really thinking differently about his papacy. I'm really excited to see what lies ahead.

 

 

Ohh man, that's our church's feast day (with par-tay) and we're Italian so that is awesome.

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Catholicism is so very new to us, but both dds and I watched the coverage this afternoon and I was so surprised to feel so moved. I really feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be and today was just an awesome moment. It's seems like such a neat way for us to start this process.

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DS and I watched a good bit of coverage on this today. It was exciting to know that we were witnessing history, and it led to a lot of questions and good discussion. We discussed why, though we are not Catholic, this is still an important decision for all Christians and the world as a whole. Pope Francis sounds like a very good and decent man, and I look forward to seeing what his leadership will bring the church.

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