Pope Francis is the first ever from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina’s conservative Catholic church.
Known as Jorge Bergoglio, the 76-year-old is known as a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed.
Bergoglio often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina’s capital.
He considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church.
It remains to be seen as to whether he will be strong enough to deal with the current crisis within the Catholic Church and faith. Will he continue to keep the faith as conservative or will he bring the Catholic Church into the 21st Century? Can we possibly hope that this new Pope will re-instill in our young people the beliefs of the Catholic religion? Here’s hoping he succeeds. It’s good to have faith. We all turn to it in our dark times. But surely there must be changes. Priests should surely be allowed to marry. Why can’t we have women priests? I have my beliefs and I hope I learn to trust and support this new leader……