By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Catholic faithful of the State welcomed the appointment of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina as the 266th Pope. Bergoglio, who is the first Latin American to be pontiff, will call himself Francis I.
Expressing happiness over the appointment of the new Pope, Archbishop of Shillong, Archdiocese Rev Dominic Jala on Thursday said that even as many names were predicted prior to the appointment, Bergoglio’s ‘unexpected selection’ depicts God’s will. “God has other plans and ways of arranging for the good of the Church and the world at large. Here is where we see the work of the Holy Spirit, work of God and we, as a Church, especially reaffirm our faith in the fact that God continues to guide us,” Bishop Jala said.
“The news of the selection of Pope Francis fills us with joy and we give gratitude to God for the gift of a shepherd to the Church,” he said adding that by choosing the name Francis Bergoglio (Pope Francis I) wanted to indicate the pathway by which he shall lead the faithful.
“We see this as a great sign for the Church and we know this is what we exactly need today,” Bishop Jala said.