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Pope Francis begins papacy with visit to Benedict XVI

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Pope Francis
Pope Francis appears at the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after being elected the 266th pope (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Pope Francis is marking the first full day since he was elected by cardinals with a visit to his predecessor Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the 76-year-old Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was the surprise choice as the new Pope, becoming the first pontiff from Latin America and the first from outside Europe for more than a thousand years.

White smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel last night as he gained the required two-thirds majority from the papal conclave in the fifth ballot, later emerging on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square as ‘habemus papam’ was declared and he became the first Pope to assume the name Francis.

UK prime minister David Cameron said the election of Pope Francis was a ‘momentous day’, while Barack Obama offered ‘warm wishes’ after a selection that he said spoke to the strength of the Americas.

‘As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than two thousand years that in each other we see the face of God,’ the US president said.

Pope Francis
Newspapers and their vendors celebrate the election of Pope Francis in Argentina (Picture: EPA)

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin Welby, added: ‘I look forward to meeting Pope Francis, and to walking and working together to build on the consistent legacy of our predecessors.’

Pope Francis greeted crowds in the Vatican with the words ‘buona sera’ – good evening – before saying the world should ‘set off on a path of love and fraternity’.

‘I would like to thank you for your welcome, the community of Rome, its brotherhood, I thank you,’ the leader of the world’s 1.2billion Catholics continued.

Pope
Pope Benedict XVI made his final public appearance last month (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Pope Francis, who asked for the crowd’s blessing before he blessed them, added: ‘Above all, I would like to pray for Pope Benedict XVI.’

Benedict XVI, who when he assumed the papacy in 2005 is rumoured to have pushed Cardinal Bergoglio into second place, shocked the world when he announced last month he was resigning due to his advanced age, becoming the first Pope in 600 years to do so.

Pope Francis is due to visit the Pope Emeritus at his Castel Gandolfo retreat today, in a move aimed at easing concerns over the possible tensions between a Pope and his living predecessor.

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