Written by Joe Adgie

A new pope has been named, and representatives from the Newman Center are cautiously optimistic about what this pope will do for the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, was elected pope on Wednesday, and took on the title Pope Francis. Francis is the first Pope not from Europe, hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“It’s interesting that he’s not Italian or German or Polish,” Gary Moulliet, resident at the Newman Center (VSU’s Catholic center), said.

Moulliet expressed hope that Francis’s run as pope would equal that of John Paul II’s, who was pope from 1978 until his death in 2005.

“I liked how John Paul II was doing more youth events,” Moulliet said. “I hope that the new pope continues that and does a little bit more with the youth, because I feel like there’s a generation gap in the Catholic church.”

Moulliet also expressed hope that the new pope would handle the issue of pedophilia within the Catholic Church “responsibly,” while covering up the issue less than his predecessor.

“What a lot of people have to realize is that the Catholic Church is set up like a governing body–with any governing body, there is a certain amount of cover up, both good and bad,” Moulliet said. “I hope that he tackles it head-on, and deals with it. (I hope that) he states truthfully that, yeah, we’re aware of the problem, and we’re dealing with it, and we’ll let you know of our developments as we get them. It’s not something you can definitely say yes or no, or ok, we know all of them, because you never know.”

Moulliet also expressed hope that the pope could help people understand that these incidents were “sins of people that are fallible, not infallible, and that it does not reflect the message and the overall religion, as much as it reflects the individual sins that we need to conquer within our own hearts.”