By Susan Jiang

Finally on Wednesday, white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the new pope to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics has been chosen. Argentina’s Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, is the newly elected pope. The first non-European pope of the modern times, Bergoglio was named Pope Francis for his commitment to the poor. Already, Pope Francis has made history. Instead of traditionally blessing the crowd, Pope Francis asked the 150,000 people in St. Peter’s Square to pray for him. He also refused to elevate himself on a platform above the cardinals as he spoke to the crowd.

Although Pope Francis has no experience with the Vatican administration, there is new hope for Roman Catholics. As a conservative, Pope Francis is likely to follow the teachings of Benedict XVI and supports Vatican beliefs on abortion, gay marriage, women ordination, and other current issues. By choosing a Latin American pope, the cardinals made it clear that the future of the church lies within that region.

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on February 28, the first in more than 600 years, prompted the election of a new pope. Earlier on Tuesday, 115 Cardinals performed a special Mass and swore an oath before entering the chapel. The designated official then pronounced the words “extra omnes” that ordered all unauthorized personnel to exist. On Tuesday night, black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the Cardinals have not yet reached an agreement in selecting the successive pope. The voting continued Wednesday morning and concluded in the evening with the announcement of Pope Francis.

Susan Jiang is a current freshman in the Dyson School hoping to specialize in Accounting and Finance. Other than serving as a International Sector analyst for Cornell Current, she is the VP of Internal Operations of the Microfinance Club. She is also a proud member of Cornell Business Review’s business team and 85Broads. She can be reached at ssj42@cornell.edu

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