Catholics overjoyed at 1st Latin American pope
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Tears and cheers erupted across Latin America on March 13 as an Argentine cardinal became the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, and many expressed hope that he help bring the church closer to the poverty-wracked region that is home to more Roman Catholics than any other.
Drivers honked horns on the streets of Buenos Aires and television announcers screamed with elation at the news that the cardinal they knew as Jorge Mario Bergoglio had become Pope Francis.
People jammed the Metropolitan Cathedral in the capital for a Mass for the new pope, and priests said they hadn't seen such a big crowd in decades.
Soledad Loaeza, a political science professor at the Colegio de Mexico who studies the church, said he was a logical choice. "First, Latin America is the most important region in the world for the church," but one where evangelical churches have been making inroads. "So it may also be an attempt to stop the decline in the number of Catholics." (AP)
新ローマ法王、中南米から初選出
新たなローマ法王を選出する会議「コンクラーベ」で3月13日、アルゼンチン出身のベルゴリオ枢機卿が選ばれ、新法王フランチェスコ1世が誕生した。
Shukan ST: MARCH 22, 2013
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