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 Beginning of the Pontificate of Pope Francis Scott 1523 (2013) Today marks the tenth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 266th successor to Saint Peter as the head of the Catholic Church. The stamp shown above was one of four stamps issued to commemorate the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Francis. The stamps (Scott 1523-1526) were issued jointly with Argentina, the home country of the pope. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he entered the seminary in 1958 and was ordained a priest as a member of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, in 1969. In 1992 he received episcopal ordination, and on February 21, 2001, he was created a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II. On March 13, 2013, at 7:06 PM, white smoke rose from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, indicating that the College of Cardinals had chosen the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who had retired as pope in February. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran stepped onto the balcony overlooking Saint Peter’s Square to announce: Habemus Papam, meaning We have a Pope! Shortly thereafter, the new Bishop of Rome, who chose the name Francis, appeared at the Loggia of Blessings and said: Brothers and Sisters, good evening! You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one…but here we are…I thank you for your welcome. The diocesan community of Rome now has its Bishop. Thank you! With that, the Church had its first Jesuit pope, its first pope from the New World and the first successor to a living pope in over 400 years. Pope Francis had made a comment at one point that he only expected to serve as pope for “two or three years”, but today marks the tenth anniversary of his Pontificate. REFERENCES: UFN, May 2, 2013, Beginning of the Pontificate of Pope Francis Vatican Philatelic Society Website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search |
