After two days of conclave meetings and five rounds of voting, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina became Pope Francis. He will be formally installed at a ceremonial mass in the Vatican next Tuesday morning. NBC's Natalie Morales reports. By Alastair Jamieson and Claudio Lavanga, NBC NewsVATICAN CITY - Pope Francis declined the official papal car and joked with cardinals not long after being elected as head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, officials said Thursday.
One Vatican insider admitted he was as “surprised” by the election of Francis as the rain-soaked crowd at St. Peter's Square -- where an audible gasp followed the pontiff's unveiling on Wednesday (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/13/17290508-pope-francis-argentinas-cardinal-jorge-mario-bergoglio-is-new-catholic-leader).
“I didn’t expect it,” press spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters, referring to the moment when Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was announced as the cardinals’ choice.
The Latin American pope’s election shattered Europe's centuries-old grip on the papacy, and his choice of name - in honor of the 12th century saint from Assisi (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/14/17301655-new-popes-choice-of-francis-has-deep-meaning-for-catholic-church?lite) – is widely seen as a nod to a new era of simplicity.
Lombardi said Pope Francis declined the official papal car – featuring license plate "Vatican 1" - for his first journey from the Sistine Chapel, choosing instead to board a bus with cardinals who had just elected him.
Later, at dinner, the new pope prompted laughter by responding to their toast with the remark: "May god forgive you for what you have done."
Those observations were echoed by New York's Cardinal Tim Dolan, who told TODAY's Matt Lauer (http://todaynews.today.com/_news/2013/03/14/17309848-cardinal-dolan-pope-francis-greeted-us-like-brothers?lite) there were "real differences" between Francis and previous popes.
"When he was pointed toward the [raised] chair and told that was where he was to sit, he said, 'No, I’m going to stand down here’ and greeted each of us as brothers, literally on the same level where we were.”Cardinal Timothy Dolan talks with TODAY's Matt Lauer about the selection of the new pope, dispelling rumors of conflict within the conclave saying it was "pretty clear the spirit was leading us" to Pope Francis' appointment.Reuters reported that Francis returned Thursday to the church-run hostel where he had stayed ahead of the conclave and insisted on paying the bill.
"He was concerned about giving a good example of what priests and bishops should do," a Vatican spokesman said. He did not disclose how much the bill totaled.
A theological conservative who has also been hailed for his compassion toward the poor (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/13/17299920-meet-the-new-pope-francis-is-humble-leader-who-takes-the-bus-to-work?lite), the 76-year-old Francis is the first Jesuit pontiff.
He is also expected to become the first pope in more than 600 years to meet his predecessor. Francis will travel to the hillside papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo to greet the emeritus pope, who is living there temporarily after abdicating as Benedict XVI on Feb. 28.
Lombardi on Thursday confirmed the historic meeting would take place but said the timing had yet to be decided.
Francis will be formally installed as the church's new leader on Tuesday (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/14/17302175-pope-francis-to-take-over-with-installation-mass-on-st-josephs-day).
His first full day as pontiff began with a quick and discrete visit to Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
"He spoke to us cordially like a father," Father Ludovico Melo told Reuters after the meeting. "We were given 10 minutes' advance notice that the pope was coming".After waiting 20 centuries for a Latin American pope, many of faithful there now believe they'll have a larger voice in the church, and that Pope Francis will pay special attention to the poor. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The new pope, who is also now Bishop of Rome, prayed before a famous icon of the Madonna called the Salus Populi Romani, or Protectress of the Roman People.
NBC News' Vatican expert George Weigel predicted Francis would "certainly" prove to be a reformer when it comes to the Roman curia - the Vatican bureaucracy at the heart of the Catholic church.
In the pontiff's native Argentina, Catholics were jubilant.
"I hope he changes all the luxury that exists in the Vatican, that he steers the church in a more humble direction, something closer to the gospel," Jorge Andres Lobato, a 73-year-old retired state prosecutor, told The Associated Press.
The election of Francis appeared to surprise even those at the very heart of the church leadership, particularly among its sizable Italian contingent.The new pope's path to the Vatican began more than 70 years ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was born to Italian immigrants. He turned to the priesthood in 1969 and decades later has become the first pope from the Americas. NBC's Lester Holt reports.The Conference of Italian Bishops was so confident of victory for Milan’s Cardinal Angelo Scola that an emailed press statement congratulating the new pope was sent with a covering email that referred to Scola, not the victorious Bergoglio, as the chosen successor to Benedict.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the conclave had "rebelled against the curia."
However, Cardinal Dolan denied the conclave had been divided. "I didn't sense that tug of war at all," he said. "I sensed a rather remarkable consensus. We needed a man who had a good track record of sound, effective pastoral governance, and we got what we wanted.”
He also said Francis would represent more of a break from the past than the image of yet another elderly man standing on the Vatican balcony would suggest. "There's more to this than just the balcony moment," he said.
Italy's La Stampa newspaper cited an interview Bergoglio gave last year in which he condemned “vanity” (http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/america-latina-latin-america-america-latina-12945/) and said being cardinal was “not an award to be bragged about.”(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130314-ghazi-tourists-10a.380;380;7;70;0.jpg)Ghazi Balkiz / NBC NewsTourists lining up at to visit St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday.Outside the Vatican, torrential overnight rain had cleansed St Peter's Square of any sign of the 100,000-strong crowd that had cheered, applauded and cried when Francis emerged on the balcony above them.
Newspaper vendors were kept busy by tourists lining to see inside the basilica.
“I think he will be a pope who thinks about more than just the Vatican,” said Maryland native Marjorie Steiner, 61, who visited St. Peter’s Square on Thursday as part of a vacation in Rome.
Dory Gordon, 51, from Houston, Texas, who was also on vacation, said: "As a Catholic I'm really excited that they have made this break with tradition. It sends out a good message that the church is here for all the world's people."
NBC's John Newland, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Slideshow: Pope Francis: His life before the papacy (http://slideshow.nbcnews.com/id/51167130/displaymode/1247/?wbSlideShowId=51167130&wbSection=news&wbSlideShowTeaseId=51167544)(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-130313-pope-bergoglio-bio/ss-130313-pope-bio-feet-tease.photoblog600.jpg) (http://slideshow.nbcnews.com/id/51167130/displaymode/1247/?wbSlideShowId=51167130&wbSection=news&wbSlideShowTeaseId=51167544)Tony Gomez / Reuters fileCardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected to lead the Catholic Church following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Launch slideshowRelated:
The pope's to-do list: 7 challenges facing Francis (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/14/17301544-the-popes-to-do-list-7-challenges-facing-francis-as-he-starts-his-new-job?lite)
Meet the new pope: Francis is humble leader who takes bus to work (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/13/17299920-meet-the-new-pope-francis-is-humble-leader-who-takes-the-bus-to-work?lite)
Full coverage of Pope Francis from NBC News (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/vatican)
This story was originally published on Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:25 AM EDT
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