Brighton Residents React to Election of Pope Francis

A new pope has been named to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, of Argentina, has been elected the 266th pope and is the first pope from Latin America.

Bergoglio is the son of middle-class Italian immigrants and became the first Jesuit archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was appointed cardinal three years later, according to the Washington Post. The article stated that Bergoglio leans to the conservative side on doctrinal and spiritual issues and opposes abortion and supports celibacy among priest.

He will take the name of Pope Francis, according to the Huffington Post.

Not many Brighton Patch readers seem to have opinions on the new pope.

"It's too early to tell," wrote Silvia McFarland on Brighton Patch's Facebook page. 

Roberta Pechota commented, "He picked the perfect name...As Jesus said to Francis to repair my house...hopefully Francis can repair the church."

Despite not having a front runner, in one of the fastest conclaves in years, Bergoglio received the necessary minimum of two-thirds (77) of the 115 votes on the fifth ballot, reported the Detroit News. The article stated that The Archdiocese of Detroit plans a special service Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the election of the new Pope, with time and place to be announced.

What do you think of the decision, Brighton? Tell us in the comments.