Francis Pope - who is he?

After the entry into force on the last day of February 2013 of the abdication of Benedict XVI, who occupied the papal throne for 8 years, from the rank of Pope (for the first time in 600 years!), The question arose of appointing a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Traditions for the election of the pontiff

According to the canons of the Catholic Church, the interval between the abdication of the incumbent pope from the throne (and often from the moment of his death) to the moment of election of a new one is called Sede Vacante.

Usually this period does not exceed 20 days (in the XX century there was not a single case with a long period of time). However, acting in that period, Pope John Paul II in 1996 adopted an apostolic constitution called Universi Dominici Gregis, which corrected the process of electing the Roman pontiff. According to the document, the conclave can not be convened before 15 and 20 days after the announcement of the throne vacant. To participate in the vote can be no more than 120 cardinals age not older than 80 years. The final election of the Pope is considered to be held if one of the candidates has won two-thirds of the votes, however, no more than 4 votes per day can be held.

Francis - Pope: how it was

On the eve of the election of the new Pope, on February 25, Benedict XVI amended the charter to expedite the election of a successor, and on March 4 in the Vatican a meeting of members of the General Cardinals' congregation was held, which resulted in the date of voting for the new pontiff.

On March 12, 2013, in the world-famous Sistine Chapel, where a vote is traditionally held, a conclave of 115 cardinals gathered to elect Pope. Forsaken Benedict XVI did not take part in the meeting, which lasted 2 days.

On the first day the conclave could not elect a new Pope, and as a sign of this, black smoke came from the chimney's chimney. The second vote also did not determine the successor of Benedict XVI, and again the pilgrims saw black smoke. The next day the vote gave a positive result, and at 19:05 from the pipe of the Apostolic Palace appeared white smoke - evidence of a successfully completed vote.

At 20:05 the parishioners heard from the cardinal-protodeacon Jean-Louis Tauran the traditional phrase in such cases: Habemus papam (which means "we have the Pope"). He proclaimed 76-year-old Jorge Maria Bergoolo as Vicar of Christ. After that, Francis, the Pope of Rome, took his name on the balcony, taking his name in honor of his beloved Saint Francis of Assisi. In addition, the adherents of Franciscanism profess the precepts of good and brotherhood, which also adhered to Jorge Maria Bergolo. He was the first representative of the New World in the history of the Catholic Church, or rather, of Argentina.

Pope Francis: Biography

The newly elected head of the Catholic Church was born in December 1936 in a large family of Italian immigrants who lived in Buenos Aires. Despite his origin (Jorge Mario came from a working family), he devoted his life to serving the Lord.

At first he studied chemistry at one of the universities of Buenos Aires, and then studied at the seminary in Villa-Devoto. Upon graduation, in 1958, Bergolio joined the ranks of the Jesuits. At the age of 33, the future Francis - the Pope - was ordained. The main occupation of Jorge Mario was teaching theology, philosophy and literature at the university. In the 1970s, the current Franciscus 1 Pope, impressed by the leaders of the Jesuit Society by his activities, became a provincial of Argentina, and in the 1980s he received the post of rector of the seminary of St. Joseph.

Career of Francis

Ever higher up the career ladder, in 1992, Bergolio was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, and then consecrated bishops.

The dedication ceremony took place in the cathedral of the city. The title Jorge Mario received from Cardinal Antonio Quarracino.

1998 brought Bergolo a new title - this time he received the title of archbishop of Buenos Aires, and in 3 years he was erected by Pope John Paul II himself to the cardinals.

In the 2005 elections, the name Jorge Mario Bergoolo was listed in the so-called "papabile" - a list of the main contenders for the papal throne. However, the choice fell on Benedict XVI.

Francis - Pope - is known as a multi-faceted man, with a comprehensive conservative education. In addition to Spanish, he is fluent in German and Italian. The pontiff is known for his speeches against the legalization of euthanasia, abortion, marriages between adherents of sexual minorities and the adoption of children by such couples. This is the first Jesuit to lead the papal throne.

What is he, a new pontiff?

Francis, the Pope, leads a modest way of life.

During his life in his native city, even being already in the office of an archbishop, Bergolho went to the temple by metro, and lived in a modest one-room apartment.

After the invitation to Rome, he took only one suitcase, with which he began a journey into a new life.

Some astrologers and fortunetellers assure us that Francis is the last Pope, after the death of which two Suns will appear in the sky and all living things will perish. This is allegedly evidenced by some of the prophecies of Nostradamus. However, skeptics strongly doubt such versions.