“As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than 2,000 years — that in each other we see the face of God, As the first pope from the Americas,” the president added, “his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day.” - President Obama on the election of the new pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

But this man, at age 76, seems to yet another "transitional" pope that Pope Benedict was. 

Pope John Paul II was at the age of 58 when elected. And when it comes to popes, he was by far the most modern and willing to bring the Church into a new age. He was also the second youngest pope to ever be elected. 

His rule was progressive but marked (As was Pope Benedict) with accounts of priests abusive young children. 

To be honest, I was hopeful for a younger Pope like John Paul II in order to lead the church in more modern times and crack down on the abusers of the Church. But with the new older pope who is very conservative I doubt that will happen. 

I am very proud that this is the first pope elected in over 1,000 years that has been from the America's, I am still disheartened that this pope insists to try and carry on the ways of the past, rather than forging on with progressive ideas that John Paul II did. 

He has spoken out publicly against gay marriage and the rights of Gay people to adopt. 

I cannot help that he will also be in agreement that any form of contraception is wrong, such as his predecessor still believed. Only after intense pressure did Pope Benedict finally agree that condoms were okay if you knew your partner was HIV+. 

This pope, I fear, will bring no new ideas into the church but will push his own very conservative ideals among his followers, thus alienating the majority of his followers

Hopefully the next time the cardinals will not just simply choose an easy choice and listen to the voice of their desperate-for-change believers.     

If you don’t want to love me, someone else will. I am tired of loving you and you not even wanting to speak to me. So I am going to stop. You were told by people better than me that you need to forget me. So I will finally move on. I will forget you because I can’t do it anymore. I can no longer afford to love you. It costs too much.