Posted on 03/13/2013 12:29:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
BACKGROUND:
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ (born December 17, 1936) is the current pope of the Roman Catholic Church, elected on March 13, 2013, and taking the regnal name of Francis I. Prior to his election, he served as an Argentine cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001. He was elevated to Pope in March 2013.
Jorge Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, one of the five children of an Italian railway worker and his wife. After studying at the seminary in Villa Devoto, he entered the Society of Jesus on March 11, 1958. Bergoglio obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo San José in San Miguel, and then taught literature and psychology at the Colegio de la Inmaculada in Santa Fe, and the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 13, 1969, by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. He attended the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel, a seminary in San Miguel. Bergoglio attained the position of novice master there and became professor of theology.
Impressed with his leadership skills, the Society of Jesus promoted Bergoglio and he served as provincial for Argentina from 1973 to 1979. He was transferred in 1980 to become the rector of the seminary in San Miguel where had had studied. He served in that capacity until 1986. He completed his doctoral dissertation in Germany and returned to his homeland to serve as confessor and spiritual director in Córdoba.
For comparison, King George VI of Britain (the one from The King's Speech) was baptized Albert, but took the name George, after his father, when he was crowned.
The past two hundred or so Popes have taken regnal names, in order to honor someone they admired.
I'm not Catholic ... so this really isn't my game. But ... born in 1936? He's 78. Certainly has to be precedent for a Pope that's in his 50s. Would've been nice to have somebody young enough to last a while. Gonna have to do the whole thing over again in a few years.
SnakeDoc
He’s the first person from the Western Hemisphere to be elected Pope.
Glad to see Pope Francis lighten up the scene!
We’re not Catholic but watched the revelation and were EXTREMELY moved. Awesome! Bless him and all Christianity.
Too funny !!
Wow. A Jesuit and an American!
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IIRC, Popes started taking a new name when a man named Peter was elected. Not wanting to duplicate the name of the original Peter, he took another name.
That’s awesome!! And he seems to have a sense of humor too!
Some crank will find a way to shoehorn that fake prophecy into this election. Somehow.
He’s 76 years old but doesn’t look 76..looks like a young 76 so God willing he has many many years ahead of him
I’d like to see the Bozo who put their money on Richard Dawkins.
I don’t see anything to indicate he’s an American.
It’s still Frank’s World, we just get to live in it.
Prayers for my Catholic brethren in Christ, that the leadership of your Church has chosen wisely and selected a man who will do God’s work as His servant on earth.
The announcement and first view of our new pope came during the hour of mercy in my time zone :)
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