The Catholic Church Elects a New Pope
Last month Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement as the leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. The pope began his role as leader of the Catholic faith in 2005. Just over a month after making that surprise announcement, the Catholic Church announced a new leader: St. Francis I, the 226th pope (also known as the Bishop of Rome or the Supreme Pontiff).
How to Elect a Pope
The pope is elected by 120 cardinals representing 54 different countries around the world.
St. Peters Bascilica, in Vatican City was the site of the announcement of the new Roman Catholic pontiff.
The cardinals meet in what is called a “conclave,” which means secret meeting. The cardinals are locked away inside the Sistine Chapel inside the St. Basilica in Vatican City, which is located inside Italy. The cardinals are not allowed contact with the outside world until they can reach a two-thirds majority agreement on who should be the new pope.
Each cardinal can be accompanied by a personal secretary and a servant, who are sworn to secrecy. The group will vote up to four times a day. If, after thirteen days, a two-thirds majority has not been reached, the cardinals may decide upon a simple majority. The votes are made by a write-in vote on a secret ballot. The ballots are counted by three people called “scrutineers.” All of the ballots are then threaded onto a single thread to prevent cheating. After each vote, all of the ballots are burned and smoke is sent up a chimney so that those outside can see. If a majority has not been reached, a special chemical is added to the fire to create black smoke. If the proper majority is reached, white smoke appears.
Who is Pope Francis?
The real name of Pope Francis I is Jorge Bergoglio. Those who become pope choose a new name. It is not required, but has become a tradition since the mid 16th century. Usually the newly elected pontiff chooses a name to honor an important figure in Catholic Church history. This pope chose St. Francis of Assisi, a very popular 12th century priest known as the patron saint of the poor.
Bergoglio was born in Argentina to parents who had come from Italy. He is 76 years old, which some people feel is too old to begin such a job. But, he is very active and very popular. Many believe that he was selected because he appeals to both “conservatives” (Catholics who are more strict in their beliefs) as well as “reformers” (those who are more liberal). This is because Bergoglio has been more traditional on morality issues, but more liberal on issues of social justice.
A Historical Figure
Pope Francis is the first pope from Latin America. There has not been a non-European pope in 1,200 years. Francis is also the first pope to be a Jesuit. Jesuits are a sub-group of the Catholic Church that was created in the 16th century. The Jesuit focus is one of missionary work, serving the poor, and living a modest lifestyle. When he was a cardinal, Pope Francis was known to fly economy class and often took public transportation around town.
Moving Forward
In his first public speech as pope, Francis said that the church should be “spiritual not political.” News correspondents say that the new pope’s style will be very different than Pope Benedict. He talks in simple easy to understand terms and has a great sense of humor. As of now, he has no personal secretary, has slipped away from his security personnel to pray, personally settled a hotel bill, and then visited a sick friend.