NBC News' Claudio Lavanga outlines Pope Francis' plans for his first day as pontiff.
By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News
ROME - A new dawn broke over the Vatican on Thursday as Roman Catholics awoke to the church's first non-European leader in 1,300 years following the election of Pope Francis.
The Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, greeted by thunderous applause from a crowd of 100,000 in St Peter’s Square late Wednesday, began his first full day with a quick and discreet visit to Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was considered a longshot, catching most people in St. Peter's Square by surprise when he was elected pope. As an advocate for the poor, he chose to live austerely in his home country of Argentina, and rejected many of the privileges that accompany the position of cardinal. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
"He spoke to us cordially like a father," Father Ludovico Melo told Reuters after the meeting. "We were given 10 minutes' advance notice that the pope was coming".
The new pope, who is also now Bishop of Rome, prayed before a famous icon of the Madonna called the Salus Populi Romani, or Protectress of the Roman People.
A theological conservative but also hailed for his compassion towards the poor, 76-year-old Pope Francis is the first Jesuit leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, and the first from the Americas.
He was expected to make history yet again Thursday by becoming the first pope in more than 600 years to meet his predecessor. Francis will travel to the hillside papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo to greet the pope emeritus, who is living there temporarily after abdicating on Feb. 28.
Francis will be formally installed as the church's new leader on Tuesday.
Hailing from Argentina, Cardinal Bergoglio – now Pope Francis, is known as a humble man who forgoes a chauffeur to take the bus to work. As the first Jesuit pope, it's expected Francis will encourage priests to evangelize, educating others in the Catholic faith. NBC's Anne Thompson reports
The new pope’s election has broken Europe's centuries-old grip on the papacy, and his choice of name - in honor of the 12th century saint from Assisi – is widely seen as a nod to a new era of simplicity and humility.
“I think he will be a pope who thinks about more than just the Vatican,” said Maryland native Marjorie Steiner, 61, who visited St. Peter’s Square on Thursday as part of a vacation in Rome.
NBC News' Vatican expert George Weigel said Francis would "certainly" prove to be a reformer when it comes to the Roman curia - the Vatican bureaucracy at the heart of the Catholic church.
In the pontiff's native Argentina, Catholics were jubilant.
"I hope he changes all the luxury that exists in the Vatican, that he steers the Church in a more humble direction, something closer to the gospel," Jorge Andres Lobato, a 73-year-old retired state prosecutor, told The Associated Press.
After waiting 20 centuries for a Latin American pope, many of faithful there now believe they'll have a larger voice in the church, and that Pope Francis will pay special attention to the poor. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The election of Francis appeared to surprise even those at the very heart of the church leadership, particularly among its sizeable Italian contingent.
The Conference of Italian Bishops was so confident of victory for Milan’s Cardinal Angelo Scola that an emailed press statement congratulating the new pope was sent with a covering email that referred to Scola, not Francis, as the chosen successor to Benedict.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the conclave had "rebelled against the curia."
La Stampa cited an interview Bergoglio gave last year in which he condemned “vanity” and said being cardinal was “not an award to be bragged about.”
© Reuters Photographer / Reuters / REUTERS
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected to lead the Catholic Church following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Related:
The pope's to-do list: 7 challenges facing Francis
Meet the new pope: Francis is humble leader who takes bus to work
Full coverage of Pope Francis from NBC News
This story was originally published on Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:25 AM EDT
By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News
ROME - A new dawn broke over the Vatican on Thursday as Roman Catholics awoke to the church's first non-European leader in 1,300 years following the election of Pope Francis.
The Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, greeted by thunderous applause from a crowd of 100,000 in St Peter’s Square late Wednesday, began his first full day with a quick and discreet visit to Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was considered a longshot, catching most people in St. Peter's Square by surprise when he was elected pope. As an advocate for the poor, he chose to live austerely in his home country of Argentina, and rejected many of the privileges that accompany the position of cardinal. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
"He spoke to us cordially like a father," Father Ludovico Melo told Reuters after the meeting. "We were given 10 minutes' advance notice that the pope was coming".
The new pope, who is also now Bishop of Rome, prayed before a famous icon of the Madonna called the Salus Populi Romani, or Protectress of the Roman People.
A theological conservative but also hailed for his compassion towards the poor, 76-year-old Pope Francis is the first Jesuit leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, and the first from the Americas.
He was expected to make history yet again Thursday by becoming the first pope in more than 600 years to meet his predecessor. Francis will travel to the hillside papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo to greet the pope emeritus, who is living there temporarily after abdicating on Feb. 28.
Francis will be formally installed as the church's new leader on Tuesday.
Hailing from Argentina, Cardinal Bergoglio – now Pope Francis, is known as a humble man who forgoes a chauffeur to take the bus to work. As the first Jesuit pope, it's expected Francis will encourage priests to evangelize, educating others in the Catholic faith. NBC's Anne Thompson reports
The new pope’s election has broken Europe's centuries-old grip on the papacy, and his choice of name - in honor of the 12th century saint from Assisi – is widely seen as a nod to a new era of simplicity and humility.
“I think he will be a pope who thinks about more than just the Vatican,” said Maryland native Marjorie Steiner, 61, who visited St. Peter’s Square on Thursday as part of a vacation in Rome.
NBC News' Vatican expert George Weigel said Francis would "certainly" prove to be a reformer when it comes to the Roman curia - the Vatican bureaucracy at the heart of the Catholic church.
In the pontiff's native Argentina, Catholics were jubilant.
"I hope he changes all the luxury that exists in the Vatican, that he steers the Church in a more humble direction, something closer to the gospel," Jorge Andres Lobato, a 73-year-old retired state prosecutor, told The Associated Press.
After waiting 20 centuries for a Latin American pope, many of faithful there now believe they'll have a larger voice in the church, and that Pope Francis will pay special attention to the poor. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The election of Francis appeared to surprise even those at the very heart of the church leadership, particularly among its sizeable Italian contingent.
The Conference of Italian Bishops was so confident of victory for Milan’s Cardinal Angelo Scola that an emailed press statement congratulating the new pope was sent with a covering email that referred to Scola, not Francis, as the chosen successor to Benedict.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the conclave had "rebelled against the curia."
La Stampa cited an interview Bergoglio gave last year in which he condemned “vanity” and said being cardinal was “not an award to be bragged about.”
© Reuters Photographer / Reuters / REUTERSCardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected to lead the Catholic Church following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Related:
The pope's to-do list: 7 challenges facing Francis
Meet the new pope: Francis is humble leader who takes bus to work
Full coverage of Pope Francis from NBC News
This story was originally published on Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:25 AM EDT