New Delhi: Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto today said he was happy to hear the news of election of a new Pope though Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio's election came as "a bit of surprise" as he was not among the front runners.
"Though Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio was not one of the front runners and therefore his election came as a bit of a surprise but because we believe that the Cardinal electors are guided by the Holy Spirit in the task to elect the new leader of the Church, I am indeed very happy to hear the news.
"After not having a Pope for nearly a month we now have one to lead the Church further. It is absolutely wonderful," Archbishop Couto said in a statement here.
The first ever Pope from South America, home to nearly 42 per cent of the total Catholic population of 1.2 billion, sets a new precedence and now makes the Church really global rather than Euro-centric that it has been for a millennia, Delhi Archdiocese said in the statement.
Emeritus Archbishop Vincent M Concessao said he was particularly happy that the Pope is known to be a personification of humility and simplicity with strong concern for social issues and justice.
"He also belongs to the Jesuit Order which has thousands of its members working in very difficult mission areas trying to share God's love through their developmental and spiritual engagements," he said.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 14, 2013, 19:53