Welcome Pope Francis

Pope Francis (CTV/AP)

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope on March 13, 2013. He took the name of Francis becoming the first Pope to ever do so. He is also the first Pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit Pope. When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican City, he endeared himself to billions of people around the world by asking first for the prayers and blessings of the people before he blessed them. He is known as a very humble man who travels by bus to work in his native city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also opted not to use the official car and house allotted to the Archbishop of Buenos Aires living in his old apartment instead.

There was a moment when he asked for the silent prayers of the people when there was a complete hush in the crowd of hundreds of thousands in the square. I watched this entire episode on CNN, thousands of miles away in New Delhi, India. But even I closed my eyes and prayed for the new Pope. I could feel an energy, a power, a feeling of new hope and new promise in that moment. I believe it was the Holy Spirit that connected me and billions of others to those in the square and the new Pope.

The first impression I got of the new Pope Francis is that he is a man who will try to return the flock to the Lord Jesus Christ. He just seemed immediately so much more human and humble than his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI and seemed to me to be almost like in the mold of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. Well, time will tell.

The choice of the name Francis is in honor of St. Francis of Assisi who is known to be a great lover of the poor and of nature. He is also known for his kindness and gentleness towards animals. A great choice of name I must say. He also proved everybody (including me) wrong about the probably names that the new Pope would take.

The next day during a mass for the Cardinals, Pope Francis said this:

"If we don't proclaim Jesus, we become a pitiful NGO, not the bride of the Lord. When we walk without the cross, and when we preach about Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are mundane. We are bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but we are not disciples of the Lord." 

I pray for Pope Francis. May he restore the Catholic Church to truly love and live the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.