“Through the election of new Pope Francis I, a new stature has come to the Papacy and a new chapter has been added to the history of the Church,” said Bishop Joseph Karikkassery in his notification issued to the members of the diocese. Pope Francis I has earned a special place in the history of the Holy See as he is the first non-European to be elected as the Pope during the last one millennium and as the first Jesuit to be elected to the post, he said.
Pope Francis I is also from a place where more than 42 per cent of the world Catholics live. This brings a new hope to the universality of the Catholic Church, the Bishop said. As an ardent priest, great scholar and researcher in Church studies and a non-compromiser on his doctrines and beliefs, Francis I is the right choice to lead the Church, he said.