Argentina's Bergoglio named new pope!

[8701girl]

The new pope has been named as Argentina’s Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He is the first from the Americas. White smoke had been seen billowing from the Sistine Chapel's chimney about an hour earlier.
The new Bishop of Rome and 266th pope has been named as Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
The 76-year-old Bergoglio has spent all of his career at home in Argentina and is known for both his keen political sensibility and self-effacing humility. He is known for modernizing a church in Argentina that had been among the most conservative in Latin America.
Pope Francis appeared wearing white on a central balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square after being dressed in his papal robes for the first time.

[h=4]DW.DE[/h] [h=2]New pope's first task is reform, say critics[/h] Now that the white smoke has risen, attention turns to the challenges Pope Francis I will face. Critics say he must reform old-fashioned rules and attitudes in the Catholic Church and open up to the modern world. (13.03.2013)





"You know that the duty of the conclave was to provide Rome with a bishop," he said. "It looks as though my brothers, the cardinals, went to fetch him at the edge of the world."
Bergoglio is known for his simple lifestyle, such as cooking his own meals and using public transport. He is the first ever pope to come from Latin America and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.
White smoke was seen billowing from the Sistine Chapel's chimney at just after 7 p.m local time, marking the end of a historic papal election process to replace Benedict XVI, who announced his desire to stand down in February.
Joy in St. Peter's Square
A Vatican band appeared on the square playing music, along with Swiss Guards in their full regalia.
Tens of thousands were gathered in St. Peter's Square, with cheers of “Habemus Papam," meaning “we have a pope,” sounding out as fumes emerged from the smokestack.
Produced by mixing the smoke from burning ballots with special flares, the signal meant that one cardinal had received the required two-thirds majority, or at least 77-votes, needed to become the new head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Between 30 minutes and one hour normally pass between the white smoke's appearing, the ringing of the Basilica's bells and the new pope making his appearance.
rc / dr (Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP)

 

[Ashtanga]

The choice was a surprise. I was sure that would be the chosen one Italian. I hope the new Pope do a great job. ray: Oh and I saw a lot of flags of Brazil there.

 

[virginia_woolf]

I like him.

 

[8701girl]

I am happy that they chose a latin pope its cool in my book

 

[Ashtanga]

I knew today that the Pope will travel to Brazil in July for a christian event (Jornada da Juventude) that will bring together young people and will happen in Rio de Janeiro. It will be the first public commitment from him.

 

[MjsLovelyOne88]

I liked him and he seems humble and of good character :sideways: I'm happy he's Latin American but I dislike the fact that atheists or anti-religious people are starting to bash and publish "dirty secrets" about the man, already.... surely, we're all absent from wrongdoing in our lives,huh? :sigh: Anyway, I personally don't mind about such people or their life choices, it's their call, but I don't see why they think they have the right to get their nose into religious matters and what religious folks believe in bashing everything , if they aren't believers in the first place. I don't see myself criticizing or forcing faith (or anything, for that matter) into them, so why should such people have a greater right of judging other people's choices? I wonder.

 

[virginia_woolf]

I liked him and he seems humble and of good character

Yes. I liked when Francis asked the crowd to pray for him before he delivered his Urbi and Orbi blessing. It was very touching.

I dislike the fact that atheists or anti-religious people are starting to bash and publish "dirty secrets" about the man, already.... surely, we're all absent from wrongdoing in our lives,huh? :sigh: Anyway, I personally don't mind about such people or their life choices, it's their call, but I don't see why they think they have the right to get their nose into religious matters and what religious folks believe in bashing everything , if they aren't believers in the first place. I don't see myself criticizing or forcing faith (or anything, for that matter) into them, so why should such people have a greater right of judging other people's choices? I wonder.

:clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[Lucilla]

I liked him and he seems humble and of good character :sideways: I'm happy he's Latin American but I dislike the fact that atheists or anti-religious people are starting to bash and publish "dirty secrets" about the man, already.... surely, we're all absent from wrongdoing in our lives,huh? :sigh: Anyway, I personally don't mind about such people or their life choices, it's their call, but I don't see why they think they have the right to get their nose into religious matters and what religious folks believe in bashing everything , if they aren't believers in the first place. I don't see myself criticizing or forcing faith (or anything, for that matter) into them, so why should such people have a greater right of judging other people's choices? I wonder.

Yes, I don't get that either.
Anyway, what his critics are saying, basically is that the Pope didn't defend some of the tortured people during the dictatorship in Argentina. Something that I really don't believe because he seems like a hard worker person and someone who's not afraid of speaking his mind. And of course as a Catholic, I believe he was against gay marriage and other issues but he's a Catholic, what did they expect?

 

[MjsLovelyOne88]

Yes. I liked when Francis asked the crowd to pray for him before he delivered his Urbi and Orbi blessing. It was very touching.

Yes it was indeed and how he wished everyone good night as he left.

:clapping::clapping::clapping:

And thank you dear, for supporting my post :hug:

Yes, I don't get that either.
Anyway, what his critics are saying, basically is that the Pope didn't defend some of the tortured people during the dictatorship in Argentina. Something that I really don't believe because he seems like a hard worker person and someone who's not afraid of speaking his mind. And of course as a Catholic, I believe he was against gay marriage and other issues but he's a Catholic, what did they expect?

Yes that's true, I'm not saying I'll support him blindly, certainly not but these people (atheists, non-religious) whatever, don't really have a say because they will obviously see all the faults he's done and dissect them. Let religious people be the judges here, it's too early to come to conclusions.

 

[thrillerchild]

Some of the stories from behind the scenes have been wonderful and refreshing to hear such as one of the first things he did after the Cardinals announced the winner to the conclave he immediately walked over to a member who had difficulty walking and hugged him. As well as him shunning the Pope vehicle instead he opted for the bus with the other Cardinals. I already like him more than Cardinal Ratzinger.

 

[8701girl]

Yeh i heard this morning that he walked up to a disabled man and kisssed him on the forehead that was sweet of him

 

[Lucilla]

And I don't think is about pose like some people believe. He was like that always according to his community in Argentina. His sister said he didn't want to be pope actually. Maybe that's why he always is asking people to pray for him. Is not something easy to be pope, especially now with all the scandals.

 

[thrillerchild]

Well they do say that none of the Cardinals would want to be pope but they accept the election as if they didn't they would essentially be turning god down. I think its completely refreshing to have a more humbling Pope.

 

[qbee]

Pope stuns newsstand owner by calling to cancel home deliver
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...owner-by-calling-to-cancel-home-delivery?lite

By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News





He's the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics around the globe, but Pope Francis isn't too busy or important to cancel his newspaper delivery.


The new pontiff — known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio until his election — shocked an Argentinian newspaper seller when he phoned earlier this week to say he wouldn't be needing the papers any more.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Hi Daniel, it's Cardinal Jorge," he told Daniel Del Regno, according to the Catholic News Agency.




Del Regno, whose father owned the Buenos Aires newspaper kiosk, thought it was a joke.



"Seriously, it's Jorge Bergoglio," the pope continued. "I'm calling you from Rome."


Del Regno said once he realized one of the most influential men in the world really was calling to make sure no more papers were delivered to his apartment, he was "in shock."


"I broke down in tears and didn’t know what to say,” Del Regno told the Argentinean newspaper La Nacion. "He thanked me for delivering the paper all this time and sent best wishes to my family."


"I told him to take care and that I would miss him," Del Regno added. "I asked him if there would ever be the chance to see him here again. He said that for the time being that would be very difficult, but that he would always be with us."


His father, Luis Del Regno, said he delivered the papers six days a week but on Sundays, the cardinal would come by in person and chat before getting on a bus.


Once a month, he would even return the 30 rubber bands that were put around the papers to stop them from blowing away.


As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio was famous of rejecting the trappings of his lofty position. Every parish priest had his home phone number and he set aside time for them to call each morning.


The younger Del Regno said that when Bergoglio left for the conclave last month, he asked about his chances of being elected pope.


"He answered me, 'That is too hot to touch. See you in 20 days, keep delivering the paper.' And the rest is, well, history," he said.

 

[8701girl]

Awwww he really does him like a genuine man :wub:

 

[LyricGuy]

On October 13, anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope Francis consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is the homily from the Mass:

In the Psalm we said: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things” (Ps 98:1).

Today we consider one of the marvellous things which the Lord has done: Mary! A lowly and weak creature like ourselves, she was chosen to be the Mother of God, the Mother of her Creator.

Considering Mary in the light of the readings we have just heard, I would like to reflect with you on three things: first, God surprises us, second, God asks us to be faithful, and third, God is our strength.

1. First: God surprises us. The story of Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, is remarkable. In order to be healed of leprosy, he turns to the prophet of God, Elisha, who does not perform magic or demand anything unusual of him, but asks him simply to trust in God and to wash in the waters of the river. Not, however, in one of the great rivers of Damascus, but in the little stream of the Jordan. Naaman is left surprised, even taken aback. What kind of God is this who asks for something so simple? He wants to turn back, but then he goes ahead, he immerses himself in the Jordan and is immediately healed (cf. 2 Kg 5:1-4). There it is: God surprises us. It is precisely in poverty, in weakness and in humility that he reveals himself and grants us his love, which saves us, heals us and gives us strength. He asks us only to obey his word and to trust in him.

This was the experience of the Virgin Mary. At the message of the angel, she does not hide her surprise. It is the astonishment of realizing that God, to become man, had chosen her, a simple maid of Nazareth. Not someone who lived in a palace amid power and riches, or one who had done extraordinary things, but simply someone who was open to God and put her trust in him, even without understanding everything: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). That was her answer. God constantly surprises us, he bursts our categories, he wreaks havoc with our plans. And he tells us: Trust me, do not be afraid, let yourself be surprised, leave yourself behind and follow me!

Today let us all ask ourselves whether we are afraid of what God might ask, or of what he does ask. Do I let myself be surprised by God, as Mary was, or do I remain caught up in my own safety zone: in forms of material, intellectual or ideological security, taking refuge in my own projects and plans? Do I truly let God into my life? How do I answer him?

2. In the passage from Saint Paul which we have heard, the Apostle tells his disciple Timothy: Remember Jesus Christ; if we persevere with him, we will also reign with him (cf. 2 Tim 2:8-13). This is the second thing: to remember Christ always – to be mindful of Jesus Christ – and thus to persevere in faith. God surprises us with his love, but he demands that we be faithful in following him. We can be unfaithful, but he cannot: he is “the faithful one” and he demands of us that same fidelity. Think of all the times when we were excited about something or other, some initiative, some task, but afterwards, at the first sign of difficulty, we threw in the towel. Sadly, this also happens in the case of fundamental decisions, such as marriage. It is the difficulty of remaining steadfast, faithful to decisions we have made and to commitments we have made. Often it is easy enough to say “yes”, but then we fail to repeat this “yes” each and every day. We fail to be faithful.

Mary said her “yes” to God: a “yes” which threw her simple life in Nazareth into turmoil, and not only once. Any number of times she had to utter a heartfelt “yes” at moments of joy and sorrow, culminating in the “yes” she spoke at the foot of the Cross. Here today there are many mothers present; think of the full extent of Mary’s faithfulness to God: seeing her only Son hanging on the Cross. The faithful woman, still standing, utterly heartbroken, yet faithful and strong.

And I ask myself: Am I a Christian by fits and starts, or am I a Christian full-time? Our culture of the ephemeral, the relative, also takes it toll on the way we live our faith. God asks us to be faithful to him, daily, in our everyday life. He goes on to say that, even if we are sometimes unfaithful to him, he remains faithful. In his mercy, he never tires of stretching out his hand to lift us up, to encourage us to continue our journey, to come back and tell him of our weakness, so that he can grant us his strength. This is the real journey: to walk with the Lord always, even at moments of weakness, even in our sins. Never to prefer a makeshift path of our own. That kills us. Faith is ultimate fidelity, like that of Mary.

3. The last thing: God is our strength. I think of the ten lepers in the Gospel who were healed by Jesus. They approach him and, keeping their distance, they call out: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Lk 17:13). They are sick, they need love and strength, and they are looking for someone to heal them. Jesus responds by freeing them from their disease. Strikingly, however, only one of them comes back, praising God and thanking him in a loud voice. Jesus notes this: ten asked to be healed and only one returned to praise God in a loud voice and to acknowledge that he is our strength. Knowing how to give thanks, to give praise for everything that the Lord has done for us.

Take Mary. After the Annunciation, her first act is one of charity towards her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth. Her first words are: “My soul magnifies the Lord”, in other words, a song of praise and thanksgiving to God not only for what he did for her, but for what he had done throughout the history of salvation. Everything is his gift. If we can realize that everything is God’s gift, how happy will our hearts be! Everything is his gift. He is our strength! Saying “thank you” is such an easy thing, and yet so hard! How often do we say “thank you” to one another in our families? These are essential words for our life in common. “Sorry”, “excuse me”, “thank you”. If families can say these three things, they will be fine. “Sorry”, “excuse me”, “thank you”. How often do we say “thank you” in our families? How often do we say “thank you” to those who help us, those close to us, those at our side throughout life? All too often we take everything for granted! This happens with God too. It is easy to approach the Lord to ask for something, but to go and thank him: “Well, I don’t need to”.

As we continue our celebration of the Eucharist, let us invoke Mary’s intercession. May she help us to be open to God’s surprises, to be faithful to him each and every day, and to praise and thank him, for he is our strength. Amen.

---

Video Link

http://facedl.com/fvideo.php?f=aaioqkoiwnwee&city-directed-by-nick-brandt

(Sorry, the embed didn't work for this site.)

---

I don't know if anyone knows about this short film, but the director of "Stranger in Moscow," Nick Brandt, made an alternate version without Michael. It is called "City." Of course, both versions of the video are loaded with symbolism. Some of it was similar to what Pope Francis said (i.e., the healing waters). Instead of MJ's music, he used an excerpt from Gorecki's Symphony No. 3.

The text is in Polish:
O Mamo nie płacz nie—Niebios Przeczysta Królowo Ty zawsze wspieraj mnie
(Oh Mamma do not cry—Immaculate Queen of Heaven support me always)

From Wikipedia,

...an inscription scrawled on the wall of a cell the German Gestapo prison in the town of Zakopane, which lies at the foot of the Tatra mountains in southern Poland. The words were those of 18-year-old Helena Wanda Błażusiakówna, a highland woman incarcerated on 25 September 1944.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

 

[Antwort]

Three years ago today.........Habemus Papam was heard once again from the balcony of St. Peter's basilica.

God bless our Pope Francis and may He guide the Church to be a true witness of God's mercy to the entire world.

It's always wonderful to see flags from all over the world, always