RCL
Benziger Celebrates the 265th Successor of Peter!
March 13, 2013 (CINCINNATI, Ohio) — Yesterday Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of
Buenos Aires was elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic
Church. He will be known as Pope Francis.
At approximately 7:06 p.m. local time in Rome,
white smoke billowed from the smokestack above the Sistine Chapel, indicating
the cardinals had reached consensus on a candidate in the second round of
balloting Wednesday afternoon. This means that at least two-thirds, or 77 of
the 115 cardinals gathered in conclave since March 12, were united in their decision.
At 8:12 p.m., French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
the senior cardinal in the order of deacons, appeared at the basilica balcony
and read out in Latin: "I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope! The
most eminent and most reverend lord, Lord Jorge, Cardinal of the Holy Roman
Church, Bergoglio, who has taken for himself the name Francis.”
Peter M. Esposito, president of RCL Benziger,
greeted the news with great enthusiasm. “Our new pope is a former teacher!” he
said. “As religious educators and teachers, we are excited to be serving in the
ministry our Holy Father embraces and understands so well. We pray that God
will grant him strength, courage, faith, and blessings in the years to come.”
The former Cardinal Bergoglio, 76, has been
Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998. A member of the Society of Jesus, he is
said to be a simple man who rides the bus, visits the poor, cooks his own meals,
lives in a small apartment, and is known to many simply as “Father Jorge.”
The soft-spoken pope came out onto
that balcony to greet the crowd of more than 100,000 gathered in St. Peter’s
Square and gave his first “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the city of Rome and to
the world. "As you know, the duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop
of Rome," he told the cheering crowd.
"It seems to me that my
brother cardinals have chosen one who is from faraway. ... Here I am. I would
like to thank you for your embrace."
Founded in 1792, RCL Benziger is a Catholic publisher known for its innovative
multi-media product offerings. A major provider of K-8 curriculum choices for
Catholic schools and parishes, including bilingual materials, RCL Benziger
publishes materials for all the faith formation needs of Catholic parishes and
schools, including sacramental preparation, family life, catechist formation,
high school and adult faith formation.
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Check Out
Invite your students or children to check out the Vatican’s virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel where the cardinals met for the Conclave. Still photos are available here.
The USCCB is providing detailed educational images and information on:
From La Stampa’s “Vatican Insider,” an interactive graphic slideshow on how a pope is elected is made available.
Free Downloads
RCL Benziger’s Activity, Church Leaders (appropriate for students in grade 5 and above).
Prayer for the retirement of Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus
Encourage
Participation in the 2013 Multi-Media Youth Contest
Calling all religious educators! Materials are now
available for the 2013 Multi-Media Youth Contest, sponsored by the USCCB
Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) with support from RCL Benziger.
This year's theme is "Be a Disciple! Put Two Feet of Love in Action."
Educators lead participants through 5 easy steps to learn about U.S. poverty,
the Church’s response, and the Two Feet of Love in Action. Youth then create
multi-media work of any type (e.g. painting, video, poetry, dance, etc.) and
work to educate their peers before submitting their work to the contest. The
contest can be facilitated by any diocesan office – for example, the Religious
Education, Catholic Schools, Youth Ministry, Social Concerns, or Hispanic
Ministry office. The annual national contest deadline is March 31. Visit the
contest materials now in English and Spanish
