Pope Francis Elected: Bellevue Catholics React

St. Madeleine Sophie Parish in Bellevue issued a prayer for the new Pope, Francis I, a  Jesuit cardinal from Buenos Aires.

On its Facebook page, the St. Madeleine Sophie posted frequent updates on the conclave, until Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, the son of an Italian railway worker, was named. The parish posted the following prayer:

O God,
shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,
look favorably upon your servant, Francis,
whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;
grant, we pray, that by word and example
he may be of service to those over whom he presides
so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,
he may come to everlasting life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Bergoglio becomes the first Jesuit and first South American pontiff, according to news reports.

He has taken the name Francis, another first.

However, others in Bellevue were hoping for another first, including one person (who did not indicate whether she was Catholic) who posted the following to Bellevue Patch's Facebook page:

was hoping for the one from boston

That post refers to Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, the Archbishop of Boston, who would have been the first pope from the United States had he been picked.

The London Guardian and National Catholic Reporter described Bergoglio as a Jesuit intellectual who travels by bus, cooks his own meals and lives simply. After being appointed cardinal in 2001, "Bergoglio persuaded hundreds of Argentinians not to fly to Rome to celebrate with him but instead to give the money they would have spent on plane tickets to the poor," the Guardian said.

He also strongly opposed Argentina's decision to legalize gay marriage, saying children should be raised by a father and a mother.

He originally planned to be a chemist, but began studying for the priesthood in 1958, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

In addition to his advocacy for the poor, Bergoglio believes in contraception to prevent the spread of disease, faces no questions over abuse scandals and would reform the Vatican Curia, according to the Guardian.

Shortly after Francis addressed the crowd at St. Peter's Square, the Vatican issued a tweet via its papal Twitter account. It said in Latin, "HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM," which translates roughly as "We have Pope Francis," according to the Los Angeles Times.

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Are you surprised by the choice of the first Jesuit and South American pope? What do you think of the choice?