14 | March | 2013 | Impressions

Pope Francis I - 3

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, white smoke appeared out of the Sistine Chapel chimney shortly after 7 pm Rome time. French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the senior cardinal in the order of the deacons, from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica announced in Latin: “Habemus Papam!” (English: “We have a pope!“).

Cardinal Tauran then revealed the pontiff’s birth name and the name he has chosen for himself as pope.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a Jesuit, is the new pope of the Catholic Church. He has taken the name of Francis.

Former Cardinal Bergoglio is the first Jesuit and the first Latin American elected Pope and the first non-European pope in 1200 years. Also, he is the first Pope to choose the name “Francis.”

Pope Francis I is the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, elected on March 13, 2013.

He is known as a humble person who speaks for the poor and led an austere life in Buenos Aires. He was born to Italian immigrant parents on December 17, 1936, and grew up in the Argentine capital.

‘‘Brothers and sisters, good evening,’’ Pope Francis said in Italian from the white balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as thousands cheered joyously below. ”You know that the work of the conclave is to give a bishop to Rome. It seems as if my brother cardinals went to find him from the end of the earth. Thank you for the welcome.”

Pope Francis asked the audience: “pray for me, and we’ll see each other soon.”

The crowd shouted “Habemus papam!” in Latin waving umbrellas and flags. “We have a pope!” Others cried: “Viva il Papa!“

“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 two thousand years – that in each other we see the face of God,” President Obama said in the message released by the White House. “As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day.”

Te Deum laudamus:
te Dominum confitemur.

We praise thee, O God:
we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.