New Pope Francis I Elected: Catholic Priests in Woonsocket React

White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel Wednesday, signaling the election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope, taking the name Francis. 

Cheers rang out from the crowd gathered at Vatican City and the buzz spread as quickly as the by-the-second news cycle could carry it. In Woonsocket, priests took the news of the reportedly humble priest's selection and his apparently modest demeanor as a sign of hope.

Francis is reportedly the Jesuit pope, the first South American pope and also the first pope to (possibly) take his name after St. Francis of Assisi.

At St. Michael's Ukranian Catholic Church, Rev Msgr. Roman Golemba was pleased. "We're very happy with the election of the new Pope and we wish him the very best," Golemba said.

At. St. Agatha Catholic Church, "I was surprised by the choice," said Rev. Wilfred Gregoire, since Bergoglio's name hadn't come up much in discussion about a possible pontiff. But, he said, as he watched Bergoglio address the crowd on television, he was very impressed.

"He just seemed so overwhelmed," Gregoire said, and appeared to accept the title with a great deal of humility, asking for the people to pray for him for the blessing of God, "And then he lowered his head," Gregoire said.

Those were good signs to Gregoire's mind. "I'm looking forward to the future. I think he's going to do a lot of good for the church and the world," he said.

Francis I is the elected successor of Benedict XVI, who made the extremely rare decision to resign the papacy. Benedict officially stepped down Feb. 28, becoming the first pontiff to resign in nearly 598 years.

When asked about whether he thought the newly named Pope Francis can effectively deal with the challenges facing the Catholic Church, including the lingering sex abuse scandal, Gregoire said he had faith in Francis's leadership.

Woonsocket has had its own brushes with sexual misconduct by Catholic priests. 

Gregoire was appointed temporary administrator of St.Agatha and Precious Blood Parishes in February when Rev. Monsignor John Allard resigned after an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor more than 30 years ago. 

In April 2012, Rev. Timothy Gorton, also of Precious Blood Parish, was also removed from his duties after an allegation of sexual misconduct 30 years prior. 

Gregoire said that while he believed Benedict dealt with the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal "forcefully," Pope Francis can also handle the challenge. "I think he's going to lead us back to a life of Christ," Gregoire said.