After a short conclave, cardinals at the Vatican announced Wednesday that Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected the new pope and would call himself Pope Francis.
Parishoners at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End said they were a little sad – but also happy – that Boston Cardinal SeanO’Malley wasn’t selected.
“They always say anyone that has press before the conclave will go in and come out a cardinal – it’s always that quiet one, the one that isn’t on the radar,” said Bob Travers Jr., a pastoral associate at the cathedral.
Travers said that the South End church where Cardinal O’Malley is in residency would have lost their Cardinal, and possibly their Father Kevin J. O’Leary, too, to Rome, so the announcement is bittersweet.
“Now, we’ve still got them both,” he said.
Pope Francis 76, is the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church. He’s not only the first to be called Francis, he’s also the first pope from South America, the first Jesuit, and the first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years.
Travers said he thinks it’s a good sign that someone from Latin America was chosen to lead the Catholic church.
“The future of the church is in Latin America and Africa, and I think the Cardinals recognized that,” he said.
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