New world, new pope: How will Francis lead his church?

• %22Let%27s start this journey of brotherhood%2C love and trust.%22
• Church problems range from banking coverup charges to internal leaks
• %22The pope%27s first priorities will be administrative rather than spiritual.%22

Clarification: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified a lung surgery Bergoglio had when he was young. The Vatican clarified the operation removed part of one lung.

VATICAN CITY — The world has a new pope. And this pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, now simply Francis, has to confront a new world.

"Brothers and sisters, buona sera," Francis said Wednesday, addressing the delirious rain-soaked crowd in St. Peter's Square with a noticeably personal and inclusive style. "Let's start this journey of brotherhood, love and trust."

That journey won't be easy. In the eight years since a similar papal conclave elected the recently resigned Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Church has faced vexing problems, from banking coverup charges to damaging internal leaks.

Meanwhile many of the faith's 1.2 billion followers, especially those in the United States, press for reforms on gay marriage, contraception and female clergy, as well as increased vigilance against pedophilia, a plague on the church over the past several decades.

And let's not forget the digital-age obligation to feed Twitter: "Habemus Papam Franciscum" (We have Pope Francis) was the first tweet off the briefly archived @pontifex handle.

"The pope's first priorities will be administrative rather than spiritual," says Rev. Alistair Sear, a Rome-based church historian. "And those first steps will indicate the direction of his papacy."

In some ways, progressive strides have already been made simply with this rather surprising selection, which in an instant pushed aside incessant headlines about hopefuls such as Italy's Cardinal Angelo Scola and the United States' Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Bergoglio is the first pope from Latin America, which along with Africa is seen as a growing stronghold for a religion whose grip on Europe and North America has begun to slip. Some 39% of Catholics are in the Caribbean and Latin America, according to the Pew Research Center. Argentina has the 11th-largest Catholic population in the world.

Bergoglio even took glee in his origins, announcing from the balcony, "I come from the end of the world."

By choosing an Argentine, the 115 voting cardinals — who took just five votes before they let the white smoke fly — gave the Catholic Church the opportunity to open doors to new followers around the world, says the Rev. Kevin Wildes, president of Loyola University New Orleans, a private Jesuit institution.

"He's going to look at the world with non-European eyes," says Wildes, who met Bergoglio in Chile years ago and was impressed by his low-key demeanor. "He was a normal guy. … He understands the world as a much more diverse place where poverty is one of the main issues."

THE JESUIT LIFE

Bergoglio is in fact also the first Jesuit to ascend to the throne of St. Peter. Jesuits are known for pursuing religion in a spirit of community and humility. With his new name, Francis, he honors St. Francis of Assisi, who traded riches for a life of spirituality.

Bergoglio himself lives in a humble home in Buenos Aires where he spends time ministering to the poor; during trips to the Vatican, he eschews private cars for the subway.

But there's also no mistaking Pope Francis' fundamentally conservative roots. Although he might provide the church with a populist face in the mold of the beloved John Paul II, it could mean business as usual at the storied, wealthy and secretive company called the Vatican.

Bergoglio's election is "promising (with regard) to bring the administration affairs of the church in order and address the scandals," says R. Scott Appleby, professor of history at Notre Dame. But asked whether the new papacy is likely to bring changes to stances on birth control and celibacy, he says, "No way."

For Boston University religion professor Stephen Prothero, author of God Is Not One, the election has produced just "another 'caretaker pope,' who at age 76 ... isn't likely to shake things up or to make much happen."

Prothero says the church "needs change to survive, and it seems incapable of doing anything to ensure its survival."

The new pope is also down on a leftist church movement popular within Latin America known as liberation theology, which links the faith to the politics of oppression. But one progressive U.S. Catholic argues that Bergoglio advocates for "liberation theology properly understood," says James Salt, head of the social justice group Catholics United.

Bergoglio gets the group's approval for his "unequivocal endorsement of the social justice teachings of the church," he says. "He's been outspoken on the need for the redistribution of the world's wealth."

A VERY DIFFERENT TRANSITION

Just how the new pope will choose to use his power of course remains to be seen in the years and perhaps decades to come. His first order of real business comes today, when he will travel to nearby Castel Gandolfo to visit the pope emeritus, the first in some six centuries. And Romans will finally let life return to normal, which means headlines about a deep and ongoing political crisis.

This conclave was a break from all that, but it stood in marked contrast to events in 2005. That indelible gathering of the faithful was set in motion by the death of a pope who had won many admirers over three decades at the rudder. John Paul II's funeral was grand and emotional, and the ensuing "sede vacante," the period in which the church is without a leader, lasted two weeks.

This time, Benedict's surprising resignation gave way to one intense week of discussions among the cardinal-electors, which included a midweek crackdown on media briefings after some details of meetings were leaked to Italian press.

That didn't stop the nearly 6,000 media accredited to the Holy See from churning out endless speculation over who might trigger the "fumo bianco," white smoke, though few articles spent much time discussing the relative chances of one Cardinal Bergoglio. He'd been at 33-1 with British bookmakers Paddy Power.

For a moment Wednesday night in St. Peter's Square, it was as though the tens of thousands waiting for a glimpse of the new pontiff were surprised — if not shocked — when Bergoglio was named. There was a moment of hesitation, and then mood quickly turned to delirium.

What's immediately apparent when you attend a conclave is that, for many people here, this is a truly powerful and spiritual event. When the words "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") rung out from the balcony, the cheer was deafening.

'IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE'

"Our Muslim brothers go to Mecca; well, if you're Catholic, this is Mecca. It's almost too much to comprehend," said Mike McCormack of Bismark, N.D., standing in St. Peter's Square. "We were told by a friend to come tonight. We are so glad we did."

David Lewellyn nodded excitedly as the rain hammered his umbrella. "The pope is a world leader, which makes this event of major significance. It's incredible."

McCormack smiled. "I'll give you another word. It's uplifting."

One man waved a Swiss flag overhead as the bells of Rome tolled and the crowds cheered. "I came just to see this moment," said Michael Flueckiger of Bern.

American Catholics back home were just as excited. Millie Teda, 75, had stopped in at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. She said she'd been praying that an announcement about a pope would come while she was there. "Oh my goodness — Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," Teda said upon hearing the news.

"You know, we need some change," she said. Catholics need someone who will "go more to the poor people, to the young people because we are losing young people."

As news spread throughout Rome of the pope's election by the ringing of all its church bells, crowds rushed toward the square.

After Pope Francis spoke to and blessed the crowd, it took hours before St. Peter's finally started to clear. A few blocks away, Cardinal Dolan, once a hopeful, addressed reporters, describing with great candor the odd sensation of chatting up a peer one day, only to be facing the representative of God on earth the next.

"You know, you meet your cardinal brother and you talk, and then all of a sudden it's different," he said. "His name is different, his clothes are different, and the relationship changes. In the morning, you might have walked next to him, but now you automatically genuflect."

Dolan related what happened when the 114 cardinals dined with the man they'd elected pope: "We toasted him, and then he toasted us and said, 'May God forgive you.'"

Clearly, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born with a sense of humor. Pope Francis will need that faculty and more for the road ahead.

Contributing: Eric J. Lyman in Rome, Cathy Lynn Grossman in McLean, Va., and Rick Jervis in New Orleans