Cardinals Select Bergoglio : Pope Francis I – 9th Oldest Pope

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has just been elected Pope, he has chosen the name Pope Francis I. He is the 266th successive pope since Peter and is now head of what is considered world’s oldest establishment. Bergolgio is the first Jesuit pope and at age 76 – he is 12 years older than the average pope; the 9th oldest pope in the Church’s history.

Praised as an accomplished intellectual within the field of theology, Bergoglio has reportedly voiced support social justice in defence of the poor; voiced sympathy for victims of HIV and AIDS; and strongly opposed abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage – supposedly in-line with the church’s teachings.

“We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least,” said Bergoglio in 2007, when defending the poor – he continued: “The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers.”

In 2010, Bergoglio strongly opposed an Argentinian bill for same-sex marriage saying the issue was not only political, but also “a destructive pretension against the plan of God.”

“We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God”, he said.

Speaking about his stance on abortion and euthanasia, Pope Francis referred to the two issues as the “culture of death.”

“We can not embrace the culture of life if we do not put our roots in Jesus, if we are not united to Him as a branch to the trunk of the vine,” he explained, when speaking of his stance - ”Because Jesus is the creator of life. It is defined as the way, the truth and the life.”