Solomon Shapiro

It has finally been decided. The new pope is…Argentine Jorge Bergoglio. A welcome departure from tradition, he is the first non-European pope in over 1,000 years. Bergoglio, who was raised by poor immigrants, is well known for his humility and humble nature.  Surely, his papacy will be defined by how he tackles one of the main scandals the Roman Catholic Church has faced in recent years– sexual abuse.   Pope Benedict XVI, who stepped down in February, was widely criticized for failing properly handle the scandals. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who has chosen the name Francis, after St. Francis, is expected to handle this issue with great strength through increasing personal appearances and is already being called “the Pope of the People”.  He is known to be a modest man, and has mentioned how he “cooks for himself”. We can only wait and see what will happen with the Church, but if Pope Francis uses the skills that has endeared him with the public over the past years, there is a bright future for the Church.