with pigtails is still on my dresser. i was confirmed and attended ccd and still have the ccd books. but as i watch today, i heard priests and others who know pope francis describe him as humble and open to new ideas. and in part, they said that because of the name he has chosen, francis, no other pope has done that. he could have chosen the name for saint francis of xavier, one of the first jess wits, but i like to think he chose in honor of assisi, a man who is humble and loves animals. it should be noted assisi was never ordained as a priest. saint francis claimed that the voice of god came to him and ordered him to rebuild the church. and when i visited assisi, a town in italy, it was a spiritual experience. but i do not practice now. i am ecumenical, and i m not alone. many people i know who were raised catholic no longer attend mass and many aren t raising their children catholic either whether because of the sex scandal, the views on women or
originally wanted to be a chemist, but in 1958, decided to join the priesthood. although francis, as the first pope from latin america, he has strong ties to europe. his father was an italian immigrant, and bergoglio completed his doctoral dissertation in germany. seen as an intellectual, he speaks four languages, spent much of his early career teaching literature, psychology and philosophy. and has published at least ten books, including one with pope john paul ii, who made him a cardinal in 2001. as archbishop of buenos aires, bergoglio opted to live a humble life, taking residence in an apartment, instead of the archbishop s palace afforded to him. and he commuted with the people. he renounced his chauffeur-driven limousine, and actually took the bus to work every day so the people of buenos aires knew that if they wanted a few minutes with their archbishop, they could simply hop on the bus with him and have a sort of informal rolling audience. bergoglio has been close to the pa
and you made an important point, i ve been getting a lot of tweets from people saying how do we know it s saint francis of assisi and not saint francis of xavier. you re saying if so, he would be called francis xavier. right, he was a great jesuit saint. i think the choice of francisco papa francesco think the name francesco here in italy and people light up. it s it s a great story that s unfolding before us. extraordinary day. we re joined by father albert cutie who left the church to marry. and sanjay gupta by phone. father, i m wondering your thoughts upon what you witnessed today. i think it s great to see a pope from latin america. you know, being latin american myself. i think hispanics all over the u.s., 50 million of us, have to feel very proud that there is a religious leader of this magnitude. the pope, the bishop of rome, is
homosexuality. the catholic church has a lot of issues, but it does a lot of good for a lot of people. the church helps the poor and the lonely. and i bet there are a lot of people who might return to the church if it changed. after tonight s celebrations are over, the question will be whether saint francis will be that change. anderson cooper 360 starts right now. erin, thanks very much. good evening, everyone. good morning from rome. the world has a new pope, as you know do in and out know by now. 1.2 billion catholics have a new leader and unlike many they have ever had. a short time ago, stepped on to the balcony, begins day one of his papacy as a true pioneer in many ways. the first latin american pope, the first noneuropean pope in modern times. first to take the name francis after saint francis of assisi. this one made history quickly, as well.
reached the pinnacle of power, and the very first decision he makes is to embrace that other face of the church and say this must be the face of authority and power and catholicism. i think for anybody who understands the ethos of the church, that is an absolutely revolutionary first step for a pope to take. and you made an important point, i ve been getting a lot of tweets from people saying how do we know it s saint francis of assisi and not saint francis of xavier. you re saying if so, he would be called francis xavier. i think the choice of francisco papa francesco think the name francesco here in italy and people light up. it s it s a great story that s unfolding before us. extraordinary day. we re joined by father albert cutie who left to marry. and sanjay gupta by phone. father, i m wondering your