Seattle Archbishop expresses ‘joy’ at selection of Pope

It was a moment of “great joy and excitement” for Seattle’s Archbishop, who watched on TV Wednesday as Catholics elected a new Pope.

Archbishop Peter Sartain conceded he knows very little about Pope Francis I. Perhaps more significant than the person named, said Sartain, is the event itself.

“I think what we’ve witnessed today is a spiritual event and that’s how I personally experience it, a spiritual event in which the Cardinals came together, placed their trust in God, that God would guide them to make the right decision and so that’s exactly what they did,” said Sartain.

He calls the election of a new Pope an affirmation of faith. “This head of the church, the Bishop of Rome, the one who is the successor to Saint Peter, is a sign of God’s faithfulness to us, just as he had said he would never leave us without a shepherd, so he has not in providing this one.”

Above all else, Sartain believes the new Pope must be a man of unity. He expects Pope Francis will continue his long-time focus on helping the poor. It’s significant, said Sartain that Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio chose the name Francis, for Francis of Assisi, who lived, by choice, a life of poverty.

A memorable moment for Archbishop Sartain Wednesday was when Pope Francis I spoke to the crowd at Saint Peter Square in the “familiar,” meaning Italian.

“And then, at the end of his initial remarks, he asked them if they would pray for him and he asked for a moment of silence and then he bowed his head and I think that’s an image that I’m not going to forget soon,” Sartain said, calling it a great act of humility.

In a statement, Archbishop Sartain offered the new Pope his obedience and his prayers.

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