Pope Francis today offered intimate insights into the moments after his
papal election, telling an audience with the press that he was
immediately inspired to take the name of St Francis of Assisi because of
his work for peace and the poor.
"Let me tell you a story,"
Francis said in a break from his prepared text during a special
gathering for thousands of journalists, media workers and guests.
Francis
then described how was comforted by his friend, Brazilian Cardinal
Claudio Hummes, as it appeared the voting was going his way and it
seemed "a bit dangerous" that he would reach the two-thirds necessary to
be elected.
"He hugged me. He kissed me. He said don't forget
about the poor," Francis recalled. "And that's how in my heart came the
name Francis of Assisi," who devoted his life to the poor, missionary
outreach and caring for God's creation.
He said some people have
asked why he took the name since it also could suggest references to
other figures including the co-founder of the Pope's Jesuit order,
Francis Xavier.
But he said his intention came to his heart as an inspiration immediately after the election.
St
Francis of Assisi, the Pope said, was "the man of the poor. The man of
peace. The man who loved and cared for creation - and in this moment we
don't have such a great relationship with the creator.
"The man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man who wanted a poor church."
He
then joked that some other cardinals suggested other names: Hadrian VI,
after a great church reformer - a reference to the need for the Pope to
clean up the Vatican's messy bureaucracy.
Someone else suggested Clement XV, to counter Clement XIV who suppressed the Jesuit order.
The
gathering in the Vatican begins a busy week for the pontiff that
includes a planned visit next Saturday with his predecessor at the papal
retreat at Castel Gandolfo - a historic encounter that brings together
the new pope and the first pope to resign in six centuries.
Among
the talks, the Vatican said, will be a session with the president of
Francis' homeland Argentina on Monday, the eve of his formal
installation as pontiff.
The Pope has sharply criticised
Christina Fernandez over her support for liberal measures such as gay
marriage and free contraceptives.
But the most closely watched
appointment will be Francis' journey next Saturday to the hills south of
Rome for lunch with Benedict XVI, who set in motion the stunning papal
transition with his decision to become the first pope in 600 years to
step down.
The meeting will be private, but every comment and
gesture on the sidelines will be scrutinised for hints of how the
unprecedented relationship will take shape between the emeritus pontiff
and his successor.
Benedict has been out of the public eye since
officially leaving the papacy on February 28 and the Vatican dismissed
any suggestion that the former pope helped shaped the discussions inside
the secret gathering of cardinals that selected Buenos Aires Archbishop
Jorge Bergoglio on Wednesday as the first pontiff from Latin America.
Vatican officials said there was no contact between the papal electors and Benedict before the conclave.
Benedict has promised to remain outside church affairs and dedicate himself to prayer and meditation.
Pope
Francis, however, has shown no reluctance to invoke Benedict's legacy
and memory, in both an acknowledgment of the unusual dimensions of his
papacy and also a message that he is comfortable with the situation and
is now fully in charge.
World leaders and senior international
envoys, including Vice President Joe Biden, are expected on Tuesday for
the formal installation of Pope Francis. It offers the new pope his
first opportunities to flex his diplomatic skills as head of Vatican
city-state.
But the most potentially sensitive talks could come
with Fernandez after years of open tensions over the then-archbishop's
strong opposition to initiatives that led Argentina to become the first
Latin American country to legalise gay marriage.
He also opposed - but failed to stop - Fernandez from promoting free contraception and artificial insemination.