New Pope Francis Elected: Catholic Center Reacts

White smoke rising above the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday—signaling the election of a new pope—was cause for excitement around the world, including at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Catholic Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard.

Staff members at the center on Madison Avenue in Madison, near the Morris Township border, ran to wait and see who was selected as the next leader of the Catholic Church.

"All of us waited together for the announcement of who it was and the name he had chosen, and for his first blessing," said the Rev. Paul S. Manning, the center's executive director. "Everybody was very, very excited."

About an hour after the smoke appeared, it was learned Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected to be the new pope, the first pontiff from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope.

He chose the name Pope Francis, which Manning said brought to his mind, first, St. Francis of Assisi, and then St. Francis Xavier.

St. Francis of Assisi is known the world over as the poor and humble servant of God while St. Francis Xavier was a tremendous missionary, Manning said.

"I think we have a pope who is going to be a blend of humble simplicity and missionary outreach," he said.

Pope Benedict XVI resigned at the end of February for health reasons, making him the first pope to step down in nearly 600 years.

At St. Paul Inside the Walls, they were monitoring the papal selection process via the Internet, Manning said. Apps and websites meant everyone knew almost immediately when there was white smoke and Manning received a text right away from a member of the center's college campus ministry.

"All of us here at St. Paul were thrilled" by the election of Pope Francis, he said. "The selection was a surprise. I don't think we were expecting a pope from Latin America. Once it happened, I think for us it made great sense and seemed to be an inspired choice."