New Pope seeks to serve the poor

“Pray for me and bid the faithful. Let us pray for each other and the entire world. There is great brotherhood in the world,” he said, soon after his election as the new Pope was announced by in the Vatican, at press time on March 14.

Born in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose ‘Pope Francis I’ as his official name to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

A first Jesuit (Society of Jesus) and the first Latin American to hold the papacy, Francis I said he would focus his attention on poverty and reaching out to believers.

A detailed report will appear in our next issue.