White smoke rose from the Vatican chimney on Wednesday: a signal to the world that the Roman Catholic Church had elected a new pope. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, hereafter known as Pope Francis I, was elected the 266th pontiff, the first South American and the first Jesuit to lead the Church. We’ll discuss the new pope, his background and what his selection means for Catholics in Latin America and around the world. We’ll also examine the challenges he faces, including priest shortages and sexual abuse scandals.
A New Pope
(Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Guests:
Father Michael Russo, communication professor at St. Mary's College of California and a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey
John Schwaller, president of the State University of New York at Potsdam and author of "The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America"
John Balleza, pastor of St. Raphael Church in San Rafael
John Coleman, associate pastor of St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco and emeritus casassa professor in social values at Loyola Marymount University
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