Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Ok - so now I have to scramble to tell you what I know about the 76-year old Cardinal Bergoglio - or I should say Pope Francis I. 

1)  He is the first Latin American pope.  As a Latin American, I couldn't be more thrilled. 
2)  He is the first Jesuit to be pope.  This also is exciting since my father studied under the Jesuits.  I feel that Pope Francis will lead in keeping with the spirit and character of his order. 
3)  He is the first who has chosen the name of Francis and I find that refreshing.  Popes often take names of past popes they plan to emulate.  At the very least, it has symbolism to that pope and I see it as an extremely good sign that Pope Francis has chosen the name used by St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, who modeled his life around helping others while filling his days with humility and compassion. 
4)  Pope Francis has a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires.  Who wouldn't be fascinated by this? 

The more I read about him, the more I like him.  In 2005, when he came to the Vatican to celebrate his cardinal appointment, he apparently asked hundreds of Argentineans to not fly to Rome but instead to donate that money to the poor. 
To be honest, I did not include Pope Francis in my top 5 because he was not given the same chances of becoming pope.  I did not think that a Jesuit Latin American could win this time around but I am happy to have been proven wrong. 

I am including various links about Pope Francis so that people can be more informed about him.  I wish Pope Francis the best luck in the world for he will be shouldering quite a burden - may he do so with kindness, courage, compassion and intelligence. 

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_bergoglio_jm_en.html

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/04/3265806/argentina-has-very-different-papal.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/on-day-2-of-papal-conclave-alliances-should-take-shape/2013/03/13/5d88b616-8bba-11e2-9838-d62f083ba93f_story.html?tid=ts_carousel

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301114.htm

http://www.startribune.com/world/197748471.html

Articles in Spanish:

http://www.lasegunda.com/Noticias/Internacional/2013/02/822277/jorge-bergoglio-arzobispo-argentino-que-disputo-con-ratzinger-sucesion-de-wojtyla (General information)

http://www.laprensa.com.ar/397285-Desde-la-Iglesia-aseguraron-que-prestaran-asistencia-a-la-mujer-que-no-fue-sometida-al-aborto.note.aspx  (Pope Francis, speaking out against abortion)

http://www.laprensa.com.ar/376850-La-Iglesia-advirtio-sobre-el-aumento-desmesurado-de-la-trata-de-personas-para-la-explotacion-sexual.note.aspx (Pope Francis, supporting nuns combating sexual exploitation of women)

http://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/matrimonio-homosexual-hiere-gravemente-a-la-familia-alerta-cardenal-bergoglio/  (Pope Francis, speaking against the bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Argentina back in 2010)