(BBC)
Gavin Hewitt looks at the life and work of the new Pope
Born in Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the first Jesuit.
"It seems my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world" to choose a pope, he told the crowd in St Peter's Square in his first address - a joke which belied his image as the cardinal who never smiles.
Up until 13 March, he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires.
Analysts did not see him as a favourite for the job of succeeding Benedict XVI and his advanced age - at 76, he is just two years younger than Benedict at the time of his election in 2005 - may have surprised those expecting a younger man as the 266th Pope.
However, he appeals to both Church conservatives and reformers, being seen as orthodox on sexual matters, for instance, but liberal on social justice - through far from being a "liberation theologist".
Humble lifestyle
He was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent.
According to his official Vatican biography, he was ordained as a Jesuit in 1969 and went on to study in Argentina and Germany.
Continue reading the main story
Who are the Jesuits?
The Society of Jesus is a male order of the Catholic Church, with 19,000 members worldwide
It was established in 16th Century Europe as a missionary order and members swear vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
The order became so powerful that it was suppressed at the end of the 18th Century but later restored
Have reputation as expert communicators
He became a bishop in 1992 and Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. At the 2005 conclave, he was seen as a contender for the papacy.
His election took many by surprise in his home city, where many had thought his age ruled him out, says the BBC's Marcia Carmo in Buenos Aires.
But any surprise soon gave way to the jubilant blaring of car horns on the streets.
As Cardinal Bergoglio, his sermons always had an impact in Argentina and he often stressed social inclusion, indirectly criticising governments that did not pay attention to those on the margins of society, our correspondent says.
Francesca Ambrogetti, who co-authored a biography of him, told Reuters news agency that part of his public appeal lay in his "sober and austere" humble lifestyle.
"That's the way he lives," she said. "He travels on the underground, the bus, when he goes to Rome he flies economy class."
In Buenos Aires, he lived in a simple flat in the building of the Archdiocese.
When in Rome, BBC Latin America analyst Eric Camara writes, he often preferred to keep his black robe on, instead of the cardinal's red and purple vest he is entitled to wear.
He is also said to have re-used the cardinal's vest used by his predecessor.
Continue reading the main story
From a humble background in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has risen to the head of the Roman Catholic Church as Pope Francis. We look at key moments in his life and career so far.
Continue reading the main story
1/10
According to a profile in the UK's Guardian newspaper, when he was appointed a cardinal in 1998, he urged Argentines not to travel to Rome to celebrate but to give their money to the poor instead.
'Balancing force'
According to Ms Ambrogetti, he is a moderate in all things.
"He is absolutely capable of undertaking the necessary renovation without any leaps into the unknown," she said.
"He would be a balancing force. He shares the view that the Church should have a missionary role, that gets out to meet people... a church that does not so much regulate the faith as promote and facilitate it."
For the Church establishment, it will be a novelty to have a Jesuit in charge - members are supposed to avoid ecclesiastical honours and serve the Pope himself.
Continue reading the main story
Pope Francis
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 (age 76) in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent
Ordained as a Jesuit in 1969
Studied in Argentina, Chile and Germany
Became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998
Seen as orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice
First Latin American and first Jesuit to become pope, the 266th to lead the Church
As a Jesuit, he is a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church, known as expert communicators, writes David Willey, the BBC's Rome correspondent.
It appears that few who know him doubt his conservative credentials.
This is how Monsignor Osvaldo Musto, who was at seminary with him, described him in a BBC News article back in 2005: "He's as uncompromising as Pope John Paul II, in terms of the principles of the Church - everything it has defended regarding euthanasia, the death penalty, abortion, the right to life, human rights, celibacy of priests."
His views have been put to the test in Argentina, the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage with a President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who promotes free contraception and artificial insemination.
When he argued that gay adoptions discriminated against children, the president said his tone harked back to "medieval times and the Inquisition".
However, she welcomed the election to the papacy of a fellow countryman, noting his choice of name appeared to be "in reference to St Francis of Assisi, the saint of the poor" and boded well for unifying "all humans as equal, with fellowship, with love, with justice and equity".
Aside from his universal significance, the former cardinal appears to be a strong Argentine patriot, telling Argentine veterans of the Falklands War at a Mass last year: "We come to pray for all who have fallen, sons of the Homeland who went out to defend their mother, the Homeland, and to reclaim what is theirs."
Junta years
One subject of controversy is his role under the Argentine military dictatorship of 1976-1983, and particularly the abduction of two Jesuits secretly jailed by the military government, suspicious of their work among slum-dwellers.
As the priests' Provincial Superior at the time, he was accused of having failed to shield them from arrest. It is a charge his office flatly denies.
Quoting his official biographer, Sergio Rubin, AP news agency writes in its profile of the new Pope: "Both men were freed after Bergoglio took extraordinary, behind-the-scenes action to save them. His intervention likely saved their lives."
Another accusation levelled against him from the "Dirty War" era is that he failed to follow up a request to help find the baby of a woman kidnapped when five months' pregnant pregnant and killed in 1977. It is believed the baby was illegally adopted.
Here is Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a priest in 1973
The cardinal testified in 2010 that he had not known about baby thefts until well after the junta fell - a claim relatives dispute.
"Bergoglio has a very cowardly attitude when it comes to something so terrible as the theft of babies," said the baby's aunt, Estela de la Cuadra. "He doesn't face this reality and it doesn't bother him."
Like other Latin American churchmen of the time, he had to contend, on the one hand, with a repressive right-wing regime and, on the other, a wing of his Church leaning towards political activism on the left.
During Argentina's economic crisis of 2001, Cardinal Bergoglio protested at police brutality during the unrest which saw President Fernando de la Rua swept from power.
"We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least," he was quoted as saying by the National Catholic Reporter at a gathering of Latin American bishops in 2007.
"The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers."
One issue for the Vatican may be the state of the new pope's health. He lives with only one lung, since having the other removed as young man because of an infection. Nonetheless, he is said to be in good shape.
He is said to be a football fan, supporting Buenos Aires team San Lorenzo de Almagro.
Gavin Hewitt looks at the life and work of the new Pope
Born in Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the first Jesuit.
"It seems my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world" to choose a pope, he told the crowd in St Peter's Square in his first address - a joke which belied his image as the cardinal who never smiles.
Up until 13 March, he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires.
Analysts did not see him as a favourite for the job of succeeding Benedict XVI and his advanced age - at 76, he is just two years younger than Benedict at the time of his election in 2005 - may have surprised those expecting a younger man as the 266th Pope.
However, he appeals to both Church conservatives and reformers, being seen as orthodox on sexual matters, for instance, but liberal on social justice - through far from being a "liberation theologist".
Humble lifestyle
He was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent.
According to his official Vatican biography, he was ordained as a Jesuit in 1969 and went on to study in Argentina and Germany.
Continue reading the main story
Who are the Jesuits?
The Society of Jesus is a male order of the Catholic Church, with 19,000 members worldwide
It was established in 16th Century Europe as a missionary order and members swear vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
The order became so powerful that it was suppressed at the end of the 18th Century but later restored
Have reputation as expert communicators
He became a bishop in 1992 and Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. At the 2005 conclave, he was seen as a contender for the papacy.
His election took many by surprise in his home city, where many had thought his age ruled him out, says the BBC's Marcia Carmo in Buenos Aires.
But any surprise soon gave way to the jubilant blaring of car horns on the streets.
As Cardinal Bergoglio, his sermons always had an impact in Argentina and he often stressed social inclusion, indirectly criticising governments that did not pay attention to those on the margins of society, our correspondent says.
Francesca Ambrogetti, who co-authored a biography of him, told Reuters news agency that part of his public appeal lay in his "sober and austere" humble lifestyle.
"That's the way he lives," she said. "He travels on the underground, the bus, when he goes to Rome he flies economy class."
In Buenos Aires, he lived in a simple flat in the building of the Archdiocese.
When in Rome, BBC Latin America analyst Eric Camara writes, he often preferred to keep his black robe on, instead of the cardinal's red and purple vest he is entitled to wear.
He is also said to have re-used the cardinal's vest used by his predecessor.
Continue reading the main story
From a humble background in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has risen to the head of the Roman Catholic Church as Pope Francis. We look at key moments in his life and career so far.
Continue reading the main story
1/10
According to a profile in the UK's Guardian newspaper, when he was appointed a cardinal in 1998, he urged Argentines not to travel to Rome to celebrate but to give their money to the poor instead.
'Balancing force'
According to Ms Ambrogetti, he is a moderate in all things.
"He is absolutely capable of undertaking the necessary renovation without any leaps into the unknown," she said.
"He would be a balancing force. He shares the view that the Church should have a missionary role, that gets out to meet people... a church that does not so much regulate the faith as promote and facilitate it."
For the Church establishment, it will be a novelty to have a Jesuit in charge - members are supposed to avoid ecclesiastical honours and serve the Pope himself.
Continue reading the main story
Pope Francis
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 (age 76) in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent
Ordained as a Jesuit in 1969
Studied in Argentina, Chile and Germany
Became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998
Seen as orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice
First Latin American and first Jesuit to become pope, the 266th to lead the Church
As a Jesuit, he is a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church, known as expert communicators, writes David Willey, the BBC's Rome correspondent.
It appears that few who know him doubt his conservative credentials.
This is how Monsignor Osvaldo Musto, who was at seminary with him, described him in a BBC News article back in 2005: "He's as uncompromising as Pope John Paul II, in terms of the principles of the Church - everything it has defended regarding euthanasia, the death penalty, abortion, the right to life, human rights, celibacy of priests."
His views have been put to the test in Argentina, the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage with a President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who promotes free contraception and artificial insemination.
When he argued that gay adoptions discriminated against children, the president said his tone harked back to "medieval times and the Inquisition".
However, she welcomed the election to the papacy of a fellow countryman, noting his choice of name appeared to be "in reference to St Francis of Assisi, the saint of the poor" and boded well for unifying "all humans as equal, with fellowship, with love, with justice and equity".
Aside from his universal significance, the former cardinal appears to be a strong Argentine patriot, telling Argentine veterans of the Falklands War at a Mass last year: "We come to pray for all who have fallen, sons of the Homeland who went out to defend their mother, the Homeland, and to reclaim what is theirs."
Junta years
One subject of controversy is his role under the Argentine military dictatorship of 1976-1983, and particularly the abduction of two Jesuits secretly jailed by the military government, suspicious of their work among slum-dwellers.
As the priests' Provincial Superior at the time, he was accused of having failed to shield them from arrest. It is a charge his office flatly denies.
Quoting his official biographer, Sergio Rubin, AP news agency writes in its profile of the new Pope: "Both men were freed after Bergoglio took extraordinary, behind-the-scenes action to save them. His intervention likely saved their lives."
Another accusation levelled against him from the "Dirty War" era is that he failed to follow up a request to help find the baby of a woman kidnapped when five months' pregnant pregnant and killed in 1977. It is believed the baby was illegally adopted.
Here is Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a priest in 1973
The cardinal testified in 2010 that he had not known about baby thefts until well after the junta fell - a claim relatives dispute.
"Bergoglio has a very cowardly attitude when it comes to something so terrible as the theft of babies," said the baby's aunt, Estela de la Cuadra. "He doesn't face this reality and it doesn't bother him."
Like other Latin American churchmen of the time, he had to contend, on the one hand, with a repressive right-wing regime and, on the other, a wing of his Church leaning towards political activism on the left.
During Argentina's economic crisis of 2001, Cardinal Bergoglio protested at police brutality during the unrest which saw President Fernando de la Rua swept from power.
"We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least," he was quoted as saying by the National Catholic Reporter at a gathering of Latin American bishops in 2007.
"The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers."
One issue for the Vatican may be the state of the new pope's health. He lives with only one lung, since having the other removed as young man because of an infection. Nonetheless, he is said to be in good shape.
He is said to be a football fan, supporting Buenos Aires team San Lorenzo de Almagro.
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