POPE FRANCIS BEGINS his first full day as leader of the Roman Catholic Church today after being elected from cardinals from around the world last night.
The 76-year-old pontiff takes over a Church still dealing with the child sex abuse scandals and its own internal battles. He is seen as a compromise candidate between those who wanted a major reform of the Vatican and those who wanted to retain the status quo: he is often described as a humble man who is a doctrinal conservative with a strong belief in social justice. He is against abortion and same-sex marriage, but has spoken out against Church hypocrisy against poor people and unmarried mothers.
You can see how front pages from around the world reacted to his election here.
Today we’re asking: Are you optimistic about Pope Francis?
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