Breaking: Seattle attorney confirms an ongoing federal investigation into Susan Cox Powell case

CHALLENGES AHEAD

March 13, 2013 @ 4:40 pm


Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio who chose the name of Francis is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) | Zoom

(AP) - He has won the papacy but there is little time for celebration.

Pope Francis takes over a Vatican plagued by scandal in its bureaucracy and under pressure over its failures to protect children from sexual abuse by priests.

The Church is also losing parishioners and its influence on public life, and some Catholics face persecution and violence in parts of the Middle East and China.

Lauded for his humility and austerity, the 76-year-old from Argentina will be called upon to emulate one of his namesakes, St. Francis of Assisi, who saw his calling as trying to rebuild the church.

In the near future, Francis will celebrate his first Mass as pope in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday and will be installed officially on Tuesday, ahead of the busy Easter calendar.

His first public words to the thousands cheering in St. Peter's Square today were characteristically humble: "Thank you for the welcome."

With that, the 266th papacy has begun.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
More World News
Top Stories

  • One
    Microsoft calls its new Xbox 'truly intelligent TV'

  • Nature's Reality Check
    We can conquer terrorism, cure cancer, but a tornado can remind us of our insecurity

  • Back to Work
    Ten observations from practice that only a backup, middle child, left-handed QB can provide
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments