South America welcomes Pope Francis with jubilation and jokes - Times of India

SAO PAULO: The god may not be Brazilian but the world's biggest Catholic country was hoping against hope to get a pope this time. Those hopes were dashed on Wednesday as an Argentinian cardinal, Jorge Bergoglio, was elected the new pope at the Vatican. With Pope Francisco I, the name chosen by Bergoglio as the pontiff of world's 1.2 billion Catholics, the church has taken a giant leap forward by handing over its leadership to the first non-European in its history. With more than 40% of the world's Catholics, the Latin American region is now home to the majority of followers of the church. The designation of Bergoglio was greeted with loud cheers, screaming and applause from hundreds of faithful who were at a mass in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires. As the news of the Argentinian becoming the new pope spread, thousands of people and TV vans rushed to the Cathedral, just opposite the historic Plaza de Mayo. But the news probably dampened the spirits in Brazil as the people here were rooting for Sao Paulo archbishop Odilo Scherer, who was seen by many as the front-runner in the papal election. As soon as the Argentinian's name was announced, the social media sites in Brazil w ere crammed with jokes, reflecting the rivalry between the two South American nations. "The pope may be Argentinian but the god is Brazilian," said a post which was shared by hundreds. "Now as the pope is Argentinian, the Brazilians will stop being Catholics," said a popular tweet. Reactions from other countries too were filled with a tinge of envy. "Love the Pope choice but Argentinians already have HUGE egos! Now will be unbearable!" said a tweet from Colombia. Others took a dig at Argentina by tweeting about football legend Diego Maradona's famous "Hand of God" goal. Jokes apart, the South American countries enjoy excellent relations with each other. They have open borders and their citizens don't need visas to travel from one country to another. All South American countries are members of a group known as Unasur and a common market called Mercosur. The rivalry between the countries is generally limited to football and their dancing skills. In Brasilia, President Dilma Rousseff congratulated the new pope, saying that his visit to Rio de Janeiro in July would "strengthen the ties between Brazil and the Vatican". The World Youth Day in Brazil would be Pope Francisco I's first international engagement. Before the papal conclave at the Vatican, there was a collective clamour from all Latin American nations for choosing the next pope from the region. Now, their wish has been granted but the election of the new pope may open some old wounds in Argentina and cause friction with some firebrand leftist leaders in neighbouring countries, which share a troubled and violent past when the whole continent was ruled by military dictators. In Argentina, Bergoglio is known for conservatism and the battle against Kirchnerism -- the social and political policies of president Christina Kirchner, who became the head of the country after the death of her husband Nestor Kirchner, the leftist leader who had shut the doors of the presidential palace to Bergoglio with whom he had a distant and conflicted relationship. With the current Argentinian presi dent, a very close ally of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez who died last week, Bergoglio has clashed over same-sex marriage, abortion and artificial insemination. Though an opponent of neo-liberalism and a champion of poor, Bergoglio has often exchanged angry words with the president. "I worry about the tone that has acquired in the speech," Cristina Kirchner had said attacking Bergoglio, during their war of words over gay marriage. The Argentinian president even compared Bergoglio's attacks on her policies as "inquisition". Though Bergoglio is known for his simple life and for modernising the conservative church in his country, some of his past actions as the top car dinal of Buenos Aires may haunt him in the age of social media. As soon as his Bergoglio's name was announced from the balcony of the Sistine Chapel, dozens of news websites and social media forums in Argentina started buzzing with stories about how he had failed to "openly challenge Argentina's murderous dictatorship" between 1976 and 1983. More than 30,000 people disappeared during this period and, according to human rights activists and the families of victims, they were all killed by the military junta which ruled the country with an iron hand. According to reports in Argentine media, at least two cases of murder by the regime directly involved Bergoglio. One examined the torture of two of his Jesuit priests who were kidnapped in 1976 from the slums where they advocated liberation theology. Hundreds of thousands of Argen tinians haven't forgiven the church's for failing to openly confront a regime that was kidnapping and killing thousands of people as it sought to eliminate "subversive elements" in society. Even though more than 75% of of Argentinians describe themselves as Catholic, less than 10% regularly attend the mass. via Top Stories - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGAzNXuQjlWAkd-ntEjQ_n9FI7sxQ&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/South-America-welcomes-Pope-Francis-with-jubilation-and-jokes/articleshow/18963011.cms

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