White smoke has floated from the chimney at the Vatican, meaning the conclave has selected a new pope: Pope Francis I, formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He is the first pope from the Americas.
With the aid of the Internet, this conclave has been historic for many reasons. The Vatican is now on twitter, has been facing widespread allegations of child abuse, and to top it all off, the former pope has stepped down from what would otherwise be a lifelong term. The media has been loaded with speculations over who would be selected to lead the Church. Even the satirical news site “The Onion” did a feature on the worst dressed cardinals at the conclave. Now all the guessing games are over and the tweets keep coming as the world waits to see what will happen now that the new pope has been named.
According to the New York Times, President Obama welcomes the first pope from the Americas and believes Pope Francis I will send a message about compassion and seeing the face of God in other people. Pope Francis takes over the papacy during a tricky time. His successor, the former Pope Benedict, is still alive and all over the world the Church is under fire for child sex abuse scandals and its views on homosexuality. This could be a potential turning point for Catholics worldwide as the head of the Vatican changes and as some key policies come under fire.
The Pope has a strong influence on Catholics worldwide, which is more than one billion people by some estimates done by the New York Times, and can be especially influential when it comes to gay rights at a time where same-sex marriage is making headlines all over the world.
Pope Francis is known for his conservative views on homosexuality, meaning he is both anti gay marriage and anti gay adoption. Blogger and creator of “The Uncultured Project” wrote that yesterday was likely the last day someone who is both Muslim and gay would deliver news about the new Pope.
GLADD president Herndon Graddick told the Huffington Post that the Church is in need of a changing opinion about Christianity and homosexuality and pointed out that Jesus never condemned gay people. The statement concluded with Graddick saying he hopes the new Pope spends less time in red shoes and more time washing people’s feet. Even for non-Catholics, the selection of the new pope will leave a strong impact, especially when it comes to changing attitudes and public opinion about homosexuality.
The white smoke has filled the air and the bells in Rome have rung. Pope Francis’s papacy has begun with all eyes on the Vatican. A climatic point has been reached, where it is possible to change or maintain its stance on issues such as clergy child abuse and homosexuality.
