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Catholics in the Rio Grande Valley are welcoming Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as their new Pope.

Bergoglio assumes the head of the Catholic Church.

Many are calling Bergoglio’s selection as Pope historic.

The Buenos Aires native is the first man from the New World and Latin America to become Pope.

Now known as Pope Francis, Bergoglio is also the first Jesuit to fill the role.

The 76-year-old is the 265th person to be named as Pope.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores Statement:

March 13, 2013

I join Catholics around the world, and here in the Rio Grande Valley in giving thanks to God for the election of Pope Francis as the 265th successor of Saint Peter.He was the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina, and thus the first Pope to come from the New World. He was trained as a Jesuit, and is known for his love for the poor, simplicity of life, and gentle good humor. He is a man of deep prayer. He is now the Bishop of Rome, and universal pastor of the Catholic Church. God has asked him to be pastor and spiritual father to us all, and we are overjoyed that he has accepted this call.That he has taken the name of Francis suggests to us that as the new Bishop of Rome, he will lead the Church in the style of the beloved saint whose name the Holy Father now shares. I ask everyone to join in prayer for the new pope, as he himself asked the crowd assembled in Saint Peter's Square, and in a special way ask that we all recognize in him the sign of the unity in faith, hope and love that The Lord Jesus Christ wills for his Church.