The selection of Jorge Bergoglio as the next leader of the Catholic Church has reopened old wounds from Argentina’s past during the Dirty War. But some activists say Pope Francis shouldn’t be lumped in with church figures who supported the dictatorship.
The 115 cardinals of the Catholic Church on Wednesday, after a full day of conclave, chose Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as its next spiritual leader, the 266th leader of the Catholic Church. Bergoglio, who took the name Pope Francis, is an Argentinian and was not among the favorites to ascend to the chair of St. Peter.
Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was formally installed as pope today. The Argentine pope was elected last week; today tens of thousands of people greeted him for his inaugural mass at the Vatican. The new pope delighted the crowds today by touring St. Peter’s Square for nearly half an hour in his open-air […]
As word spread about the new Pope, many Latino Catholics in the US celebrated the historic choice of a pontiff from Argentina. But it is also clear that, just like in Latin America, the Catholic monopoly over Latin America immigrants is also shrinking.