On Wednesday, March 13, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was introduced to the world as the 266th pope.
Bergoglio chose the name Francis I in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. This decision helps demonstrate how the new pontiff has already shown a willingness to embrace innovative ways of doing things.
According to Michael Martinez of CNN, "Pope Francis chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi because he is a lover of the poor, said Vatican deputy spokesman Thomas Rosica.
"'Cardinal Bergoglio had a special place in his heart and his ministry for the poor, for the disenfranchised, for those living on the fringes and facing injustice,' Rosica said.
"St. Francis, one of the most venerated figures in the Roman Catholic Church, was known for connecting with fellow Christians, Rosica added."
Two new Facebook pages may help the new pope honor his namesake by connecting with other believers online.
The official Facebook fan page for Pope Francis launched at about 1 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). During its first 10 hours of existence, over 4,000 people from around the world liked the page. Visitors to the page can see several photos of the pope and many comments congratulating him on being chosen as the new bishop of Rome.
Not all the comments are positive. Scattered among the blessings and well wishes are a few people criticizing the Roman Catholic Church or arguing with other people who commented. However, as of March 13, the content on the page was overwhelmingly in favor of the new pope.
When he was still a cardinal, Pope Francis was very active on Facebook. His old page had over 43,000 subscribers when Alex Fitzpatrick of Mashable wrote about it on Wednesday afternoon. By 12:13 a.m. PDT on March 14, that number shot up to 137,610 likes.
The Pope's new personal page was also created on March 13. In its first 12 hours, the page received 13,473 likes. So far, there isn't much on it. That will probably change after the pope is officially sworn in during a mass on Tuesday, March 19.
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