After the white smoke over the Sistine Chapel heralded the election of new Summus Pontifex, the question on the minds of millions of believers the world over was finally answered: 76-year-old Argentinian cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became a new Pope of Rome.
The election of the Argentinian cardinal was a surprise for many, for he was not among the favorites as the successor of Benedict XVI who abdicated the Holy See, even though at the previous Conclave he was the main "rival" of future Pope Benedict XVI.
The Archbishop of Buenos Aires who became the 266th pontifex took the name of Francis. This was not a casual, but a rather symbolic gesture, for this was the name of Francis of Assisi.
The new Pope was born in 1936 in Argentine into the Italian immigrant family. Francis became the first Latin-American Pope in the entire history of the Church. In addition, this is the first Jesuit Pope: until now not a single member of the Society of Jesus has been elected as the Pope of Rome.
Pope Francis is known above all for his humble way of life – he was even called a "metro bishop". The Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998, future Pope lived in a small apartment without any help and is said to have prepared meals by himself. He never used the privileges that befell the "church prince" – a personal car with a chauffeur. He rode by metro, wore a plain monastic black tunic and loved Argentinian tango.
Bergoglio is famous for his standing for the poor and his conservative stance: he opposes the legalization of same-sex marriages, women priests, the use of contraceptives, abortions, euthanasia, etc.
The event of this scale certainly could not go unnoticed in Russia and broader in the Russian world. Although Catholics are rather few in number in this country – from 200,000 to 600,000, according to various estimations – the election of the Pope is obviously a very important event for them. This is a no less significant event for dozens, if not hundreds of thousands of our compatriots residing in Western Europe, especially in its Catholic quarters, and in Latin America. It should be reminded that the Russian expat community in Argentina, where the election of Pope Francis is perceived almost as the national triumph, is the largest in Latin America. According to unofficial data, about 300,000 of our compatriots live in this country.
The election of new Pope was predictably an important event for the Russian Orthodox Church as well. While the Orthodox and Catholics have not overcome all historic and dogmatic differences, they consider themselves strategic allies in their common cause of withstanding secularism.
In the words of well-known missionary, Reverend Andrei Kuraev, the fact that the new Pope opted for the name of Francis "promises huge changes for the Catholic Church and its assisted transformation into the Church of the poor from the Church of wealthy and respectable gentlemen."
"The son of a railway migrant worker began his pontificate with a request to people to pray for him, rather than with people's blessing from on high. He comes from Latin America where the Catholic Church long ago began its revolutionary path from palaces to log-huts," the priest wrote in his blog.
The ROC saluted the election of new pope officially as well. "The Russian Church welcomes the decision of the Roman bishops and, as before, hopes that the relationship between the Orthodox and Catholic churches will further develop along the positive lines," stated deacon Alexander Volkov, Head of Briefing Service of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.
In Moscow they believe that Francis will continue the policy of former popes, aimed at cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church.
By all appearances, such hopes are not vain. Thus steward of Russian Orthodox parishes in South America, the Bishop of Caracas John stated that the newly elected Pontifex is noted for "personal modesty" and "kind attitude to Russia". He said cardinal Bergoglio annually attended the Christmas services in the Orthodox Cathedral of Buenos Aires and maintained close and friendly ties with the Orthodox clergy in Argentine.
It's premature to judge about the main focus of Pope Francis. A number of experts assume that Russia as a whole will not be a top priority. Most likely, he will concentrate on the problems of third-world countries: fighting the poverty and outreach efforts.
Alexander Ryazantsev
