Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Italian Non-Italian

From The Washington Post:
As the third non-Italian pope after the Polish John Paul II and the German Benedict, Francis seems to have ended the era of Italian dominance of the papacy.
The Wall Street Journal adds a few details about this "non-Italian":
The former Cardinal Bergoglio... was born in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrants.
Also from The Wall Street Journal:
In many ways, Cardinal Bergoglio is an ideal figure to transition from a centuries-old line of European popes. His father was an Italian immigrant, giving him roots in a country that is, along with Spain, considered a mother country of Argentina. That cultural affinity may have helped Cardinal Bergoglio with many of his Italian peers that dominate the Curia.
So, the third non-Italian pope who ends the era of Italian dominance of the papacy is Italian (born to Italian parents) and known to be Italian by the Italians.