Flanked by cardinals and clergy members, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was unveiled as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday as he stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica – and some Cal State Long Beach students thought church’s choice was a mistake.
Less than two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI resigned due to old age, the conclave elected 76-year-old Bergoglio of Argentina after five rounds of voting in the Sistine Chapel.
Bergoglio will take the title of Pope Francis I. He will be the first non-European leader of the church in more than 1,200 years.
“It’s interesting he’s from Argentina, and one of the first Popes from the Americas,” Jacob Bledsoe, a freshman business major, said.
Bergoglio was not mentioned as a frontrunner going into the highly anticipated conclave, according to the Guardian. Nevertheless, he is known for speaking out against the Argentinian government in 2009 regarding its lack of attention to growing inequalities in the country, according to the Guardian.
Though cheers of approval erupted from the courtyard of the Sistine Chapel, some students said they were concerned by church’s decision.
“It might have been better if they had gone with someone younger,” Jason Baker, a freshman biology major, said.
Other students said the decision to go with another elderly pope is a mistake.
“Seventy-six is too old to start leading the Catholic Church,” Saedra Wright, a junior communications major, said. “He’s old and out of touch.”
While the age of Pope Francis I is troubling to some in and around the Catholic Church, some CSULB students said they feel that the deciding factor came from Bergoglio’s country of origin.
“I think they chose him due to connections that he has in Argentina,” freshman english major Rebecca Komathy said. “Everything in Catholicism has to do with fate.”
According to a 2010 Pew Research Study, 39 percent of the world’s Catholics reside Latin America. This may have played a large factor in the decision-making process.
Freshman pre-biology major Luis Loredo is a member of the Catholic Church, and he feels that the election of Pope Francis I is a step in the right direction, away from the troubled times the church has seen.
“It doesn’t matter where he’s from, as long as he’s willing to follow the church’s rules,” Loredo said. “I think it’s good that the Catholic Church is getting its mind off of the troubles of the past and moving forward.”
The Catholic Church has been the center of sexual abuse controversy since the early 1990s, according to the New York Times.
Some students said they feel the pope’s role is irrelevant.
“If you can re-elect God’s representative, you might as well re-elect God,” Ahmad Binbakr, a senior chemical engineering major, said.
While the election of Pope Francis I came much quicker than expected, some students said they are more interested in what the days and weeks ahead will reveal in the way of the pope’s performance.
“Time will tell whether he turns out to be a good choice,” freshman civil engineering major Jake Cutler said.
