Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is now the 266th leader of the Church of Rome. He is known for simple living and care for the poor. The first Jesuit pope and the first born outside of Europe in more than a thousand years, on this first day, Pope Francis celebrated Mass with the cardinals who elected him in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. A doctrinaire conservative -- no fan of women's empowerment -- from an increasingly secular country, he's apologized for failing to better protect the faithful when Argentina's military dictatorship abused and killed many thousands of people. His challenges include priestly sex-abuse, Vatican corruption and declining membership. Will he be the breath of fresh air some Catholics say they've been waiting for, or another apostle of the status quo?
Pope Francis and the Church of Rome
Credits
Guests:
- Rachel Donadio - Paris-based journalist, contributing writer for The Atlantic - @racheldonadio
- Carolina Barros - Buenos Aires Herald
- Thomas Rausch - Loyola Marymount University
- Erin Saiz Hanna - Women's Ordination Conference - @erinsaizhanna