It didn’t take long for Pope Francis to set the tone for his new career as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. In his first press meeting, the new pope said that when he realized the votes had fallen in his favor, his thoughts turned to St. Francis of Assisi. The Pope said he admired the original Francis’ concern for the environment and that he was a “poor man, a simple man, as we would like a poor church, for the poor.”
Such words ring true with the pope’s character. As cardinal, he was well-known for rejecting the opulence due his standing, and often taking public transportation.