On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 the Roman Catholic Church elected their first ever non-European and member of the Jesuit order as their Roman Catholic pontiff.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, and the first pontiff to ever take the name as Pope Francis, obtained more votes than any other candidate except former Pope Benedict in the 2005 election.

“Pope Francis seems like a very simple man. He appears to care very much for the poor and sick,” said sophomore Omid Afshar.

The cardinals’ choice of choosing a non European led to controversy about Bergoglio’s history in Argentina. Although he denied the accusation he was said to have been apart in the abduction of two Jesuit priests by the military junta.

Sophomore Mitchell Wright said, “I believe he has a hard time because of all of the controversy surrounding the church and the new generation of people wanting new things.”

The cardinals signaled their decision when the new pope appeared on the balcony over St. Peter’s basilica after white smoke poured from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel. Pope Francis dressed in his new white robes was greeted by thousands waiting for his arrival in the square.

As soon as Pope Francis I was elected, Facebook’s newsfeed flooded with statuses from Penn Catholic Student Association President and College junior Margaret Buff’s

Penn students are excited with Pope Francis’s focus on the community service and the diversity he brings to the Vatican City along with fact that he is the first non European pontiff in centuries.

“I believe Bergoglio will be a good Pope because he cares about the community and it’s nice to have someone different,” said freshman Natalie Stainton.