New pope is a fresh start

The College of Cardinals selected Former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio and elected him Pope Francis I to serve as the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church following two days of conclave or lockdown.

He succeeds Pope Benedict XVI, who retired.

“It’s good to have a new man running the show,” Chula Vista St. Rose of Lima priest Father John Dolan said. “It’s going to be exciting starting a mass with a new name.”

The name Francis comes from Francis of Assisi, a saint in the Middle Ages who took on the life of poverty even though he was the son of prosperous Italian merchants, according to Dolan.

“I think the moral issues will take a back seat to his drive in assisting the poorest of the poor,” Dolan said. “That seems to be where his heart is.”

Dolan also said that more than anything, Pope Francis I will bring the issue of poverty to light.

“I think humility is probably the word that people are going to attach to his name, he said. “That says something very profound in my mind, that some of the perceived regality will be further toned down.”

Dolan said the families in his parish have prayed leading up to the decision of the new pope.

“We pray now for the pope by name in the Eucharistic prayer,” he said.

Dolan said that people are expecting Francis I to address namely two in-house changes.

“The first is that the new pope is going to assert some management authority of the curia (inner workings) of the Vatican,” Dolan said. “The second is the child abuse scandal—the message that they have worked diligently toward and address some of the serious allegations against the priests” to let everyone know much has been done since the issue first came to light.

“He’s a fresh start,” Dolan said. “The first Pope Francis—that is not just a new chapter, but a whole volume. Something new is happening in our church.”