Pope Francis. AP FILE PHOTO
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Saturday called for “a poor Church for the poor”, saying he chose his papal name because St Francis of Assisi was “a man of poverty and a man of peace”.
“How I would like a poor Church for the poor!” he said at a meeting with hundreds of journalists from around the world in the Vatican.
Francis described the emotional moments immediately after his election in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday.
The Argentinian, formerly Jorge Mario Bergoglio, said he had been sitting next to Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the archbishop emeritus of Sao Paulo.
“He hugged me and kissed me and told me not to forget the poor. And that word went in here,” he said, pointing to his head.
“I immediately thought of Francis of Assisi,” he said.
“Francis of Assisi for me is a man of poverty, a man of peace, a man who loved and protected creation. Right now our relations with Creation are not going very well,” he added.