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The official Mass to inaugurate Pope Francis as the bishop of Rome will be held Tuesday. One week ago, the conclave convened to elect a new pontiff. After only hours of deliberation, the cardinals chose Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
The new pontiff has set some groundbreaking trends. He was the first pope to be elected from the Americas, being from Argentina; he is the first pope to be elected outside of a European country in over a millennium. He became the first Jesuit pope of modern times and the first pope to take the name Francis.
I think its great. I mean it is exciting to have someone from the Americas, Ph.D. Joseph Magee, Director of Student Ministries for the Catholic Student Center at Sam Houston State University said.
His name is in reference to St. Francis of Assisi and a nod towards the type of pope he intends to be.
Right away, with regard to the poor, I thought of St. Francis of Assisi Francis said at a meeting with journalists.
Adopting the motto Miserando atque eligendo meaning lowly but chosen, Francis has already set a trend for simplicity.
He chose to bear a cross that is much simpler than the ones presented to him, as well as a ring that was vastly less ornate than options. The pope even opted to keep the coat of arms he had while serving as archbishop for Buenos Aires.
His first few messages as the pope centered on forgiveness, hope and courage. In his inaugural Angelus, or noon offering, which was delivered on Sunday, the Pope Francis addressed the issue of forgiveness, Never forget this: The Lord never tires of forgiving us. Have you thought about the patience that God has with each of us?
He also sent out his first tweet from the papal Twitter account: Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me.
Pope Francis has already displayed his simplistic approach to leading the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics.
Magee said, All the reports say that he is an incredibly holy man, which is what the Cardinals wanted. He is someone that can preach the gospel in credible means.