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14.03.2013 International

Pope Francis prays to Mary, plans to salute cardinals

By GNA
Pope FrancisPope Francis
14.03.2013 LISTEN

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Vatican City, March 14 (dpa/GNA) - Pope Francis was Thursday due to meet the cardinals who picked him as the first ever pontiff from Latin America, as tributes from around the world continued to pour in.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina began his full day as pope by praying to the Virgin Mary at Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. He was accompanied there by George Gaenswein, the Prefect of the Papal Household and the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

In the afternoon he was due to return to the Sistine Chapel to meet the entire College of Cardinals, including the 115 Princes of the Church who took part in the conclave.

With greetings from world leaders continuing to reach the Vatican, Francis was being universally praised for his simplicity and humbleness.

Such a reputation had emerged already during his first remarks as pope on Wednesday night, when he appeared from the central balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica wearing a simple white cassock and asked the faithful to pray for him.

He also showed some humour, commenting that his fellow cardinals had gone to "almost the end of the world" to find him.

From the moment the white smoke issued from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel to signal cardinals had elected the church's new leader, signals were also sought about what kind of chief the 76-year-old Francis would be for a church beset by infighting, scandal and dwindling global appeal.

The bar is set high as the Catholic faithful hope for a leader with the charisma of pope John Paul II, the theological rigour of Benedict XVI and the energy and organizational leadership of a multinational chief executive bent on reform.

It began with the announcement of the cardinal protodeacon, Frenchman Jean-Louis Tauran, from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica: "Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum, habemus papam." ("I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope.")

While Francis is from Latin America, his father hailed from the Church's heartland, Italy. He is said to love football, tango and Beethoven and built a reputation in Argentina as a defender of the poor.

He also held by the Church's conservative teachings on social issues - such as opposing abortion, gay marriage and the ordination of women - leading him to clash repeatedly with political leaders, including President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

However, his opposition to Argentina's military leaders who ruled from 1976 to 1983 while conducting a Dirty War against the opposition was faint. His critics have gone as far as to accuse him of collaborating with the military authorities.

He became the 266th pope after Benedict's surprise resignation in February and after five rounds of voting by 115 cardinal electors on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Francis had been seen as a contender for the top job by Vatican experts but not as a front-runner, given his age.

Even Bergoglio himself, in an interview given to Argentina's La Nacion before the start of the conclave, had said he had "no chance of becoming pope."

"This time, age is playing against me," he had said, as Vatican experts noted that he had emerged as Benedict's only real challenger during the 2005 conclave.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who participated in the conclave in the Vatican and was himself considered a possible contender for the job, said his peers had made an "inspired choice".

"As successor to Peter, our first pope, Pope Francis, stands as the figure of unity for all Catholics wherever they reside," he said in a statement issued by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

GNA

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