Election of new Pope - Catholic faithfuls in Mauritius Thursday greeted with joy the election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new Pope to take over from Benedict XVI, who resigned last month, citing deteriorating health.
In a communique, Jean-Maurice Labour, the administrator of the diocese of Port-Louis, declared that the first appearance of Pope Francis I leaves one with the impression of 'a serene and simple Pope'.
Labour said that the South American continent, where Pope Francis I hails from, has the biggest concentration of Catholics, who are confronted by today's major challenges such as the fight against poverty and drug, the difficulties of democracy and the proliferation of Christian sects.
'I see the election of Pope Francis as a prophetic appeal which will urge the church to take up the challenges it is confronted with such as the paedophilia scandal, the difficulties of the church's central administration, and the dialogue with judaism and islam,' he argued.
Mauritius has about 28% Catholics in a population of 1.3 million.
Pana 15/03/2013