Here in San Francisco, named for the famous St. Francis of Assisi, people are delighted with the new Pope.
Named after a saint
Pope Francis also takes his name from St. Francis of Assisi.
He is the first pope to hold the name. Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglia is 76 and is the first non-European leader of the Roman Catholic Church in well over 1,200 years
But there are other firsts with the new pope. Here are some of them:
Only one lung
Pope Francis, says Fox News, is the one and only pope to have just one lung.
The reason for this is that Pope Francis had to undergo the removal of one of his lungs when he was just a teenager. He suffered an infection that caused the lung to require removal.
Fox News says that having one lung should not affect the Pontiff's duties.
First Pope named Francis
"I think it is an excellent choice in name," says San Francisco resident, Mary Martin. "Any connection to St. Francis is a good one. He must be one of the most-loved saints."
At no other time has a pope chosen the name Francis. This is a first.
From Latin America
With having the name Francis and having just one lung, Pope Francis also boasts another first. He is the first pope in the history of the Catholic Church from Latin America, a fact which will delight many Catholics in San Francisco and around the world.
Pope Francis is from Argentina and is the son of Italian immigrants.
Pope is a scientist
Another first is that Pope Francis is a scientist. He is a pro-education and a pro-science pontiff. His papacy should prove interesting for that fact alone.
Work cut out for him
But despite all his firsts, Pope Francis will have his work cut out for him. This is a time of great turmoil in the Catholic Church and several issues will have to be addressed when the Pope gets down to work.
Those issues will include the sexual scandals involving the Catholic Church, the issue of gay marriage, the issue of abortion and the turmoil going on in the Middle East.
What do YOU think about Pope Francis and what he has to face? Feel free to comment below.
See the photos in the slideshow.
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See yesterday's top news story on the increasing number of dead pigs found in a river in Shanghai: Dead pigs in Shanghai river: now 6K
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