New Pope Francis I: Why The Latin Pope Was The Most Beneficial Choice For The Catholic Church

Just after 3 p.m. the now-former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was named the 266th successor of St. Peter, taking the name Pope Francis I. He succeeds Pope Benedict XVI, the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany.

This is the first time a pope has been elected who comes from outside Europe in modern times, while Pope Francis is still somewhat unknown, it seems as though being a Latino pope will greatly benefit the growth of the Roman Catholic Church.

Latin America has more Catholics than any other region in the world, according to CNN; Latin American is home to 480 million Catholics. An overwhelming 39 percent of Catholics live in Latin America, which comes in well ahead of the 24 percent of Catholics that live in Europe.

Between sexual abuse scandals and cover up accusations, the Catholic Church is facing some of its most turbulent times in history, therefore it is time for an extreme change. By diversifying the church and placing a Latino as the Supreme Pontiff, perhaps faith will be renewed in the church and the faithful will perhaps flock once more.

Also by electing a Latino as pope, the church has renewed faith in the US. Due to the large number of Latinos in the United States, the new pope could help offset the greatest net losses experienced by the Roman Catholic Church in recent years. The decline of Catholics has been slowed by the influx of Latino immigrants and the Hispanic population growth in the US.