Washington: The sister of Jorge Mario Bergoglio has revealed that in the past, she had prayed that the cardinals wouldn`t pick her brother to be the new Pope.
Maria Elena Bergoglio said she was in her home west of Buenos Aires last week when she heard the shocking news - that her brother was the new pope.
She said that during the previous conclave, she was praying for him not to be elected, as she didn`t want him to leave. She admitted it was a little selfish, reports the CNN.
However, this time around, Bergoglio said she changed her tone and prayed that the Holy Spirit would intervene and not listen to her.
She further said that thousands of miles away in Europe and in the highest office in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, her brother showed the same sense of humor he displayed since their childhood growing up in Argentina.
Bergoglio said it is clear that her brother- the first pope from Latin America - will be a pope for the masses.
She dismissed concerns raised by critics who accuse Francis of being complicit with Argentina`s brutal military dictatorship from the 1970s - an accusation the Catholic Church denies.
(ANI)
