Jorge Bergoglio

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'We Still Call Him Georgio'
'We Still Call Him Giorgio'
the rundown
Mar 13, 2023 11:34 AM CDT

'We Still Call Him Giorgio'

Pope Francis quietly celebrates a 10-year milestone

(Newser) - It's been 10 years since a guy named Jorge Bergoglio became the leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, with the white smoke emerging from the Sistine Chapel to signal that a new pope—the first from Latin America—had been selected. The then-76-year-old Pope Francis was seen as an...

Pope Met With Gay Couple Day Before He Met Kim Davis

Yayo Grassi, old Argentine pal of the pope's, brought his partner of 19 years

(Newser) - Kim Davis supporters who were whooping it up that the Kentucky clerk met up with Pope Francis last week may be dialing down their excitement a bit. First the Vatican announced Friday that their brief visit wasn't an endorsement of Davis' decision to not issue marriage licenses to gay...

Don't Mess With the Pope When It Comes to Money

Pontiff's business savvy is shining through as he tries to address Vatican's finances

(Newser) - It's obvious by now that Pope Francis is a practical guy who's trying to keep up with modern society, help the poor , and make inroads with issues that have plagued the church, all while humbly shrugging off his rep as a rock star among religious leaders. Based on...

Francis Marks 1 Year of Change ... Just Not Profound

Critics weigh in on pope's first year at the Vatican

(Newser) - It's been a year since the Catholic Church chose Jorge Bergoglio as its new pope , and while Pope Francis marks the anniversary with a low-key, week-long spiritual retreat with cardinals and bishops—he characteristically traveled there by bus—here's a look at how he's been doing over...

Why Pope Francis Is Time's Person of the Year

'For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets...'

(Newser) - 2013 has been a pretty unbelievable year for Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis, dominated Facebook , and now finds himself Time's Person of the Year . Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs explains how he ended up on the cover after just nine months on the job: because of how he...

NSA Spied on Vatican as Pope Was Chosen: Report

Church 'not worried' about Italian magazine piece

(Newser) - Among the NSA's apparently unending surveillance targets, according to an Italian magazine report, was one Jorge Mario Bergoglio—the current Pope Francis. Panorama says Bergoglio and other cardinals were subjects of US spying ahead of the conclave that made him pope , AFP notes. "It is feared that the...

Pope Phones Home, Cancels Newspaper

Seems the former cardinal forgot to end his subscription

(Newser) - The guy who started the first day of his papacy by settling his hotel bill is running more errands: This time it was an Argentine newspaper vendor left with his mouth hanging open when someone named "Cardinal Jorge" called up to cancel his longtime subscription, reports the BBC . "...

Bergoglio Backed Gay Civil Unions

Compromise offer shocked Argentine bishops

(Newser) - Pope Francis has made some uncompromising statements on issues like gay marriage but he also has a strong pragmatic streak that could hint at changes to come for the Catholic church, the New York Times finds. As the church in Argentina fought to prevent the legalization of gay marriage in...

Pope: Advice From Cardinal Led to Name 'Francis'

'Don't forget the poor,' friend told him

(Newser) - Pope Francis met with the international media today and shed more light on why he picked the name Francis. As the votes were being counted and it became clear that Jorge Bergoglio would be the next pope, a fellow cardinal from Brazil turned to him and said, "Don't...

Vatican: There's No Evidence Pope Helped Junta

Allegations from Argentina dog Pope Francis

(Newser) - The Vatican today addressed the whispers that the new pope seemed to get along with Argentina's military dictatorship in the '70s. "There has never been a credible, concrete accusation against him," nor was he ever charged with anything, a Vatican spokesman said today, according to the...

Pope's Young Sweetheart Recalls His Love Letter

Amalia Damonte says 12-year-old Bergoglio wanted to marry her

(Newser) - Apparently you can credit Amalia Damonte for Jorge Bergoglio becoming Pope Francis—or perhaps her father, reports the Week . When Bergoglio was just 12, he had a young "romance" with Damonte, writing a letter saying they would be married and drawing a picture of the house they would live...

How It Ended Up Being Bergoglio

A front-runner, Scola, got a mistaken email of congratulations

(Newser) - Insiders are beginning to open up about how they chose Jorge Bergoglio as the new pope . For one thing, he wasn't part of the Vatican's troubled Curia hierarchy, but it was believed he could help heal it, the New York Times reports. It also helped that he didn'...

Don't Expect Gay Rights to Advance Under Francis

Richard Socarides: New pope's previous statements are pretty clear

(Newser) - Humble, yes . A champion of social justice and the underprivileged, sure. But Pope Francis is also a strict conservative on church doctrine, which means that even though polls show most Catholics favor gay marriage, the Vatican isn't about to soften its views on homosexuality, writes Richard Socarides at the...

One Reason Cardinals May Have Picked a 76-Year-Old

Nate Silver: Benedict's resignation eased fears of an infirm pontiff

(Newser) - Jorge Bergoglio wasn't on many short lists to be the next pope partly because he's 76, which puts him among the 10 oldest pontiffs upon election, writes Nate Silver in the New York Times . Veering away from politics, Silver pokes around papal history and notes that the others...

Dark Cloud in Francis' Past: The Dirty War

Critics accuse Bergoglio of working with military junta

(Newser) - Although responses to Pope Francis have been chiefly positive , one dark stain in church history is raising serious questions about the new pope—the church's role during the dictatorship in Argentina, reports the Guardian . The church backed the dictatorship during its rule from 1976 to 1983, urging its followers...

Pope Francis: The Meaning Behind the Name

Celebrates St. Francis of Assisi: Vatican

(Newser) - So we've got a new pope , and he's got a new name—but what exactly does the moniker mean? It's a salute to St. Francis of Assisi, says a Vatican spokesman.
  • For a Jesuit pope, the choice is a nod to the Franciscans, often seen as Jesuit
...

Pope Francis Known for Humble Style

As archbishop in Buenos Aires, he avoided the trappings of his position

(Newser) - The world is getting to know Jorge Bergoglio, to be known as Pope Francis from this day forward. The 76-year-old Jesuit is the son of Italian immigrants who has spent nearly his entire life in Argentina. He is known as conservative on most church issues—staunchly opposing gay marriage, for...

New Pope: Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina

He will be called Pope Francis

(Newser) - The Catholic church has chosen a new pope: Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, a 76-year-old Jesuit. He will be known as Pope Francis and is the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than 1,000 years. He stepped out onto the balcony of...

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