8 Things To Know About The New Pope

#1 He is the 266th successor of St Peter, the first pope of the Roman Catholic church.

#2 Pope Francis' real name before he changed it was Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Don't forget to add Cardinal, that's what he was before getting elected as pope.

#3 He cooks his own meals and shuns his chauffeured white limousine using public transportation instead. This shows us that he is of the conservative school of thought that cares about the poor and lowly.

#4 He is a Jesuit and the first pope in over a thousand years who is not European; he is from Argentina and 76 years old.

#5 As a Jesuit, he has held key offices, including that of novice master and provincial superior. And he was never an insider to the Vatican.

#6 Pope Francis chose the name 'Francis' in remembrance of St Francis of Asisi whom God called to rebuild  his church when living outside the town of Asisi in a dilapidated chapel. Since St Francis wasn't sure what God meant, he began literally to rebuild the chapel with his bare hands. And thus began the Franciscan renewal of the medieval church. Lets just say the new pope related deeply with this story and its significance.

#7 He believes in peace, brotherhood, mutual trust and charity as indicated in his first speech to the city of Rome and to the World.

#8 Pope Francis presently carries the burden of revamping the Catholic church and  making the church a pilgrim of the people of God, enlivened by the Word of God, rather than a pyramidal institution hierarchically controlled. He has a lot of work to do!