Who is argentine cardinal jorge mario bergoglio

The new Pope takes the helm at a difficult time for the Catholic Church, facing an array of challenges which include the role of women, interfaith tensions and dwindling congregations in some parts of the world. The election of a new Pope was signalled by white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday evening. About an hour later, the name of the new Pope was read out.

He began his address to the crowds by offering a prayer for his predecessor. In a light-hearted moment, he said his fellow cardinals had gone to the "ends of the Earth" to find a bishop of Rome.

He went on to ask the crowd to "pray to God so that he can bless me", before calling on the world to set off on a path of love and fraternity. The election was met with thunderous applause at the cathedral in Buenos Aires, Pope Francis' home city. We waited 20 centuries.

This is an event. US President Barack Obama sent "warm wishes" on behalf of the American people to the newly elected pontiff, hailing the Argentine as "the first pope from the Americas". Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. Learn more here. Join now. Blog NCR Today. Profile: New pope, Jesuit Bergoglio, was runner-up in conclave Mar 3, This article appears in the Conclave feature series. View the full series. Italian film about papal election worth a watch Mar 20, And the pope elected by the conclave of the People of God is Mar 14, Black smoke after first votes Wednesday Mar 13, White smoke rises from Sistine Chapel, signaling new pope Mar 13, Join the Conversation Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor.

Enter your email address to receive free newsletters from NCR. Email address. Profile: New pope, Jesuit Bergoglio, was runner-up in conclave. Most Recent Vatican financial reform efforts continue amid scandals and deficit Nov 12, Assisi pilgrimage with the poor: Pope calls for open hands, open hearts Nov 12, New survey raises concerns about increasingly conservative clergy Nov 12, Classroom questions and answers on God and life's fairness Nov 12, Your thoughts on Archbishop Gomez and pseudo-religions Nov 12, Mother Cabrini Nov 11, Berlin archbishop to name minister for gays, calls sidelining 'painful' Aug 10, Las Cruces lawmaker says politics led to denial of Communion Jul 20, Abuse allegation against retired Buffalo auxiliary under investigation Jul 14, Pope Francis goes to Rome hospital for intestinal surgery Jul 4, Morning Briefing Jun 29, Morning Briefing Dec 17, On this day: Czeslaw Milosz Jun 30, Perusing the homilies and speeches delivered by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, we come across themes and reflections that are also central to his pontificate.

At the Easter Vigil of 15 April , the Archbishop of Buenos Aires stressed that "we live in a situation in which we need a lot of memory. Every day we all face the choice of being good Samaritans or indifferent travellers who pass by. On 25 March , the day of the Day of the Unborn Child, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires expressed the hope that the Virgin Mary "might make attitudes of tenderness, hope and patience grow in our hearts to protect every human life, especially the most fragile, the most marginalised, the least able to defend itself.

Among the afflictions Jorge Bergoglio denounced repeatedly as cardinal, and later as Pope, are those of poverty and injustice. In , speaking at the Aparecida Conference, he denounced ever more severe inequality: "This globalisation as an economic and social ideology," he said, "has negatively affected our poorest sectors.

The injustices and inequalities are ever greater and deeper. The powerful eat the weakest. As a consequence of this situation, large masses of the population are excluded and marginalised". In , reflecting on the theme "Culture and popular religiosity," the Archbishop of Buenos Aires stressed that "a culture of death" is advancing.