Between this moment...
and then this one...
in little over than 24 hours already so much had happened.
Even though the election was conducted behind closed doors, Vatican journalist for “America” magazine knows many of the events that occured during this time. This is what he explores in his new book “The Election of Pope Francis.”
GERARD O'CONNELL
Author, “The Election of Pope Francis”
“I've written it as a diary starting from the day Benedict XVI announced his resignation, February 11, 2013, and ending on the day Pope Francis appeared in St. Peter's Square, beginning his great ministry.”
The book examines how the election of the first Latin American pope happened. Gerard O'Connell is sure Card. Jorge Mario Bergoglio entered the conclave unaware he would leave the Sistine Chapel dressed as pope.
GERARD O'CONNELL
Author, “The Election of Pope Francis”
“He understood it at lunch time on March 13th, before they went into the fourth ballot. It was clear after the third ballot that bearing some extraordinary event, he was going to be pope.”
During the voting, the other most-voted candidates were the Archbishop of Milan, Angelo Scola; and Canadian Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops. However, after the second vote, most of the new supporters were for the Cardinal of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. On March 13, during the fifth ballot, he gained more than two-thirds of the votes and became Pope Francis.
Gerard O'Connell says those who voted for him saw in this now pope three decisive elements.
GERARD O'CONNELL
Author, “The Election of Pope Francis”
“They knew that he was a holy man, they knew that he was a man very close to the poor. They knew that he was a man who was kind of a missionary pope.”
At 7:06 in the evening on March 13, the white smoke appeared announcing a cardinal had been elected pope.
An hour later, the world met Pope Francis. The keys to knowing how his story began are in the pages of this book.
