I predict they picked a man in a dress.
UPDATE: It’s Pope Francis I, formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina — and a vocal advocate for the poor. (Hence the name, in honor of St. Francis.)
He is also the first Jesuit to become Pope.
Oh, and for Atrios: He uses public transit.
And…WNYC, NYC’s public radio station, has been covering this live since 2PM. Most of it was speculation and filler, but it was kind of neat to hear a Jesuit educator/priest just lose it when he learned the new pope was a Jesuit. Really excited the guy,
Is he pretty conservative? Or what?
There are no socially liberal cardinals left, they’ve purged the ranks of them. But he IS a voice for the poor, and possibly against austerity. We’ll see.
Seems he takes the bus, cooks his own meals, and gave up the official residence for an apartment. . . certainly, a tad different in background. Humility, which seems rare among these political animals.
His lifestyle choices seem good, and so does his concern for the poor.
Also, Jesuits are smart cookies.
Dare we hope that this guy will be an improvement over his two predecessors?