Pope Francis I: The history and possible impact of the first Latin American pope

Sally Tirambulo prays at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on March 13th, 2013 after the new Pope Francis I was announced.

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Mae Ryan/KPCC

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Newly elected Pope Francis I appears on the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 266th Pontiff and will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

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Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

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Yesterday the world witnessed the selection of Pope Francis of Buenos Aires, formerly Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. He is not only the first pope from outside Europe in modern times, but also the first Jesuit, the first from Latin America, and the first named Francis, in recollection of St. Francis of Assisi, who dedicated his life to helping the poor.

Yesterday the world witnessed the selection of Pope Francis of Buenos Aires, formerly Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. He is not only the first pope from outside Europe in modern times, but also the first Jesuit, the first from Latin America, and the first named Francis, in recollection of St. Francis of Assisi, who dedicated his life to helping the poor.

We’ll talk about his history as a church leader and what impact he might have.

Then, KPCC's Multi-American blogger Leslie Berestein Rojas joins the show with a report on how the L.A. Latino community is reacting to the news.