Community Corner
Cobb Bishop Speaks About New Pope Francis
"It was a very emotional and powerful moment for all of us," said Bishop Luis R. Zarama of Archdiocese of Atlanta.
The white smoke poured out from the Sistine Chapel chimney around 2 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, signaling that the conclave had chosen Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be the new head of the Catholic Church.
Bergoglio, the first ever pope from South America and the first from outside Europe in the modern era, chose the name Pope Francis.
Bishop Luis R. Zarama of the Archdiocese of Atlanta held a press conference at 3:30 p.m. today in Smyrna to comment on the new pope.
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"I was so excited. I had tears in my eyes the moment when the new pope was chosen," said Bishop Zarama. "It was a very emotional and powerful moment for all of us."
The naming of a new pope also excited West Cobb residents.
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“So many firsts with this Pope. If the way he has been living is any indication, he is going to be a very good leader of the Church,” Lauren Wood-Viscardi wrote on West Cobb Patch’s Facebook page. “Love the Jesuits.”
According to Catholic tradition, the newly appointed Bishop of Rome is the 266th successor of St. Peter and leader of the worldwide Catholic Church consisting of 1.2 billion Catholics.
The Catholic Church's 115 cardinal electors voted in this papal election, and the newly appointed pontiff received at least 77 votes. The white smoke appeared after five rounds of voting.
Pope Francis, 76, is the former archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina, and succeeds Pope Benedict XVI. The new pope asked the crowd at St. Peter's Square to pray for him.
"I think Latino people have a warm way of approaching others. It would be an interesting transition between a German pope and a Latino pope," said Bishop Zarama. "I think this pope, coming from Latin America, would give a great opportunity to people to feel close to him."
Benedict, who did not participate in the election, cited health reasons in becoming the first pope to step down in some 600 years.
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