Danbury Pleased with New Pope

"Habemus Papam!," wrote State Sen. Michael McLachlan, R-Danbury, on Facebook, and Shaaron Guerra then commented in the thread, "And a Jesuit shall lead us!"

"I'm very excited about where he comes from," McLachlan said, speaking Wednesday evening about Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Argentinian Cardinal elected Roman Catholic Pope on Wednesday. "It's a welcome surprise. I thought it would be a young Italian or a young European. The Catholic Church faces many challenges in South America."

McLachlan is a trustee of Danbury's St. Peter's Church, and a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He said Pope Francis is good news for the world, for South America and for Danbury.

Angelo Arrando, pastor of St. Gregory the Great Church on Great Plain Road, posted on Facebook he wanted a shepherd of people, not a man focused entirely on the church.

Father Arrando wrote, "My earnest prayer for this conclave is that the cardinals choose a man who will be more of a shepherd for all the People of God rather than a guardian of the institution." Father Arrando's Facebook followers said it worked out that way.

"Pope Francis did some wonderful things in Buenos Aires--chastising priests who would not baptize infants born out of wedlock, washing the feet of people with AIDS, living simply. He will make a difference in good ways, I believe," wrote Richard E. Edwards in his response to Father Arrando. He started his post with, "It appears that your prayer was answered."

Jack Keegan followed Edwards' post with this comment, "Right on Angie. You hit the nail on the head!"

"Absolutely..........we need a SPIRITUAL LEADER of the PEOPLE who is not afraid to rattle some cages.........we lost people with everything that has and is still happening in the church but it is not a reason to turn away from GOD," wrote Gail Moavero Russo on Father Arrando's Facebook thread.