Bishop Paprocki: Pope Francis brings 'new perspective'
2 months ago
From sj-r.com:
Springfield Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki called the selection of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope a “historic moment in the history of the Catholic Church.”
Bergoglio, 76, a Jesuit who chose the name Pope Francis I, is the first pontiff from the Western Hemisphere and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.
“He comes from Latin America, the region with the world’s largest number of Catholics,” Paprocki said during a news conference Wednesday at the Springfield Diocesan Pastoral Center. “Now as pope, he will bring a new perspective to his task of shepherding the 1.2 billion Catholics throughout the world.”
The selection of a pope from the developing world came as no surprise to Paprocki, who, following the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s retirement, said he believed the next pontiff could be someone from outside Europe.
Updated 5 hours, 3 min ago