March 14, 2013
Māori Catholics welcome Pope Francis I
Māori Catholics are welcoming the appointment of Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope.
The 76-year-old cardinal of Buenos Aires has taken on the name Pope Francis the first.
He replaces Pope Benedict XVI, who was the first pope in 600 years to retire as leader of the world's Catholics.
Danny Karatea-Goddard, the treasurer of Te Rūnanga ō te Hāhi Katorika ki Aotearoa, says his choice of name is auspicious, harking back to Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Francis Xavier.
“Xavier was a person who went out to the world, evangelised people, left home and all those sorts of things. Francis of Assisi was someone who fought for justice and fought for change – a great transformer. I think we’re very lucky that the pope has chosen the name, Francis, and I think we’re all looking for hope of new things to come,” says Danny Karatea-Goddard.
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