On March 13, the conclave of Catholic Cardinals elected Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, 76, as the new pope. Now known as Pope Francis, he is the first pontiff from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium, the Associated Press reported. He chose the name Francis, associating himself with St. Francis of Assisi, the 13-century Italian Catholic friar who lived a life of poverty.
After the new pope was named, the First Presidency issued the following statement:
"On behalf of the leadership and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we extend our warmest wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis and pray he will feel the peace of the Lord as he serves as pontiff of the Catholic Church.
"We have been honored and pleased as our two faiths have worked together on issues of faith, morality and service to the poor and needy. We value the relationships that have been formed in these joint efforts and are grateful for the good that has been accomplished.
"We look forward to pursuing together, as the Apostle Paul wrote, all things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report."
