Pope Francis “had nothing to do with the dictatorship,” preferring “a silent diplomacy” during Argentina’s so-called Dirty War, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel of Argentina reported after a private meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on March

"There are going to be hard choices along the way," the president said.

Few Catholics, and even fewer Jesuits, ever imagined there would be a Jesuit pope.

On the final day of the conclave, Twitter reported 130,000 tweets per minute.

Cheers of “Francesco! Francesco! Francesco!” resounded throughout the square.

Cardinal Francis has become the first pope in 600 years to receive his predecessor’s blessing.