Pope Francis: 13 key facts about the new pontiff

What we know about Pope Francis • He likes to travel by bus. • He has lived for more than 50 years with one functioning lung. He had the other removed as a young man because of infection. • He is the son of an Italian railway worker and a housewife. • He trained as a chemist. • He is the first non-European pope in the modern era. • He claims that adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children but believes that condoms "can be permissible" to prevent infection. • In 2001 he washed and kissed the feet of Aids patients in a hospice. • He speaks fluent Italian, as well as Spanish and German. • Until now he has been living in a small flat, eschewing a formal bishop's residence. • He told Argentinians not to travel to Rome to celebrate if he was appointed but to give their money to the poor instead. • He is believed to have been the runner-up in the last papal conclave in 2005. • He has co-written a book, in Spanish, called Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra (On Heaven and Earth).

Le blog de Jean MERCIER François, le pape pauvre de coeur Un pape humble et simple s'incline devant son peuple, demandant son intercession, et tend la main pour un chemin de fraternité et de confiance. Benoît XVI nous avait prévenus : il y a une différence entre le réel et le virtuel. En l’occurrence, nous avons pris une sacrée leçon en matière de réalité. Mais il y a quelques jours, je m’interrogeais aussi sur ce qui serait notre point aveugle dans cette élection. Hier, à 20h12, sur la place Saint Pierre à Rome, la pluie s’était arrêtée de tomber après la fumée blanche. Soudain, l’étage de la loggia s’est illuminé. Georges Marie ? Tauran termine sa phrase : “ Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalem Bergoglio, qui sibi nomen imposuit Francesco...» Jorge Maria Bergoglio ! En même temps, c’est un homme qui a de l’épaisseur, pour autant que je me souvienne ce que j’avais écrit sur lui à la veille du Conclave de 2005. Autre choc : son nom. Puis, il nous fait prier un Pater et un Ave à l’intention de Benoît XVI...

Флибуста Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio becomes 266th pontiff and takes name Pope Francis | World news The cardinals of the Roman Catholic church on Wednesday chose as their new pope a man from almost "the end of the world" – the first non-European to be elected for almost 1,300 years and the first-ever member of the Jesuit order. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, becomes Pope Francis – the first pontiff to take that name – an early indication perhaps of a reign he hopes will be marked by inspirational preaching and evangelisation. But the cardinals' choice risked running into immediate controversy over the new pope's role in Argentina's troubled history. In his book, El Silencio, a prominent Argentinian journalist alleged that he connived in the abduction of two Jesuit priests by the military junta in the so-called "dirty war". He denies the accusation. The new pope appeared on the balcony over the entrance to St Peter's basilica more than an hour after white smoke poured from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signalling that the cardinals had made their choice.

Pourquoi le pape François s'annonce comme un cauchemar catholique - Le pape François, le 14 mars 2013. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi - Il y a deux manières d'envisager l'élection du pape François. Son nom est emprunté au célèbre saint François d'Assise qui dévoua sa vie au Christ après avoir entendu un crucifix lui ordonner: «Rebâtis mon église en ruines». Son nom peut aussi renvoyer au jésuite saint François-Xavier, missionnaire et évangéliste exemplaire. publicité Mais on pourrait aussi voir dans ce pontificat naissant l'énième épisode d'une série désastreuse de nouveautés au sein de l’Eglise catholique. Une figure de transition? Il s'agit du premier pape latino-américain, du premier à s'appeler François, et aussi du premier jésuite à devenir pape. Ici, le pontificat de Benoît XVI, qui voulait mettre l'accent sur la «continuité», semble bien davantage relever de l'exception que de la règle, dans un temps de changements aussi radicaux que spectaculaires –qui, comme nous le savons, sont souvent les signes avant-coureurs d'un effondrement. Devenez fan sur

mittens Jorge Mario Bergoglio: The first Pope from the developing world: Third non-Italian in a row shows shifting balance of power First Pope from outside Europe in more than a milleniumHe is also the first Jesuit to be elected to the PapacyPoints to rising economic influence of Latin America By Steve Doughty Published: 20:36 GMT, 13 March 2013 | Updated: 00:57 GMT, 14 March 2013 The choice of a Pope from Latin America is a powerful symbol of the shift of influence in Roman Catholicism from the old to the new world. Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the third Pontiff in a row who is not from Italy and the first in more than a millennium from outside Europe. His election to the Papacy signals the importance of the burgeoning strength of the church in Latin America and in Africa, now home to a growing proportion of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Balance of power: Newly elected Pope Francis I waves to the waiting crowd from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica It also points to the rising economic influence of Latin America where Brazil has joined the list of booming nations with fast-rising levels of wealth.

François Ier ou François ? A l'annonce du nom choisi par Jorge Mario Bergoglio pour exercer sa charge pontificale, la presse du monde entier s'est empressée de saluer l'élection de François Ier. Mais le Vatican a rapidement corrigé l'assertion, expliquant en effet qu'il sera connu sous le seul nom de "François", du moins aussi longtemps qu'il n'y aura pas de pape qui choisira de s'appeler François II. Le porte-parole du Vatican, Federico Lombardi, a en effet écarté toute confusion possible et a demandé l'abandon pur et simple du chiffre romain qu'on avait l'habitude de voir accolé au nom des derniers papes. S'il en est ainsi simplifié, le nom du pape garde cependant une charge symbolique très importante. >> A lire : "Quel nom pour le pape ?" La référence à saint François d'Assise, "c'est l'Eglise modeste, c'est l'Eglise nue. "François d'Assise c'est aussi le symbole du dialogue avec l'islam.

These pictures of baby animals and cute poses are too much, they will make your smile for the day! Absolutely gorgeous little creatures. Please visit stories, etc. for more pictures, stories, etc. Pope Francis I: The modest son of a Beunos Aires railwayman who has only one lung Born in December 1936 in Buenos Aires, Bergoglio is the son of an Italian railway worker He became a priest at 32, nearly a decade after losing a lung due to respiratory illnessHe was leading the local Jesuit community within four yearsIn 2010, Bergoglio challenged the Argentine government when it backed a gay marriage billHe prefers to travel on the underground and when he goes to Rome he flies economy class By Tara Brady Published: 20:34 GMT, 13 March 2013 | Updated: 23:41 GMT, 13 March 2013 Of all the contenders to replace Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was little mentioned. The 76-year-old reportedly received the second most votes after Joseph Ratzinger, the last pope, in the 2005 papal election. And as a representative of South America's Catholics - who make up an estimated 40 per cent of the 1.2 billion strong church, he was widely supported on a massive scale. His personal style is said to be the antithesis of Vatican splendour. 'Let's not be naive.