News of New Pope Greeted with Excitement by Gwinnett Residents
The new pope is 76-year-old Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, will be known simply as Pope Francis.
Even though many of the people watching with anticipation were not Catholic, local residents said they were anxiously awaiting the announcement and watching with excitement the pomp and circumstance in the square outside the Vatican on Wednesday afternoon. "That didn't take long," one resident posted on Facebook. "I'm not Catholic, but I'm still excited." And with a puff of white smoke not long after 2 p.m. they knew history had been made. The 1.2 billion Catholics, and indeed the world, had a new Pope. It was another hour before the announcement was made. This was followed by a press conference in Atlanta by the Most Reverend Luis R. Zarama, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta congratulating the new pope - Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of …
