News
Pope Francis starts first day with Marian prayer, bill paying
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis began his first full day as pope with an early morning act of Marian devotion -- and by paying the bill at the clergy hotel where he had stayed before entering the conclave that elected him. The new pope left the Domus Sanctae Marthae at 8 a.m. March 14 for a five-minute drive to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he prayed before an icon of Mary and the child Jesus.
Latin Americans say pope’s election is recognition of global South
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNS) -- Latin Americans said the election of the first pope from the region is recognition of the role the global South plays in the church's future. Pope Francis, the 76-year-old Argentine who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, comes as both a surprise and a source of hope for Latin American Catholics.
Jesuits surprised that first of their brethren is elected pope
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Jesuit brethren of the new Pope Francis were as surprised as anyone when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was announced March 13 as the first Jesuit to be elected pope. Jesuit Father Gerard Stockhausen, executive secretary of the Jesuit Conference USA, told Catholic News Service that when Cardinal […]
New pope’s initial schedule released
Coming events for Pope Francis include a closed Mass with the cardinals March 14, a briefing for journalists March 16 and the formal papal installation Mass March 19.
New pope ‘figure of unity’ for all Catholics, says US Bishops’ president
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, congratulated the newly elected pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took the name Francis. Pope Francis “stands as the figure of unity for all Catholics wherever they reside. The bishops of the United […]
Text of Pope Francis’ remarks from balcony after his election
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Here is the English translation of Pope Francis' remarks delivered from the balcony after his election as pope. Brothers and sisters, good evening. You know that the task of the conclave was to give Rome a bishop. It seems my brother cardinals went almost to the ends of the earth to find one.
Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio elected pope, takes name Francis
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, the leader of a large urban archdiocese in Latin America, was elected the 266th pope and took the name Francis. He is the first pope in history to come from the Western Hemisphere and the first non-European to be elected in almost 1,300 years. The Jesuit was also the first member of his order to be elected pope, and the first member of any religious order to be elected in nearly two centuries. The election March 13 came on the second day of the conclave, on the conclave’s fifth ballot. It was a surprisingly quick conclusion to a conclave that began with many plausible candidates and no clear favorite.
It’s fitting time: Papal tailors ready no matter the size of new pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Even though a conclave to elect a new pope has not yet started, the papal tailors have the white cassock ready for the new pontiff when he appears less than an hour after his election on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The Gammarelli shop proudly showcased in its street-level window […]
White smoke: Cardinals elect new pope on fifth ballot
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To the delighted surprise of many, clouds of white smoke poured from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel March 13, indicating a pope had been elected on the conclave's fifth ballot. The smoke signal went off at 7:05 p.m. The 115 cardinals gathered to elect the 266th successor of Peter had taken one vote late March 12 and two votes the next morning, resulting in clouds of black smoke. Stay with CatholicPhilly.com as this story develops.
As seen in St. Peter’s Square
March 13, 2013, 1:45 p.m. EDT This semester I have had the great privilege of studying abroad in Rome with Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Ind. Arriving in this city in January, I never imagined I would be so blessed to be here during this exciting and historical time in our church’s history. In […]