Mr. Speaker, last week many Canadians, not just Roman Catholics, watched with rapt attention as cardinals took up their places under the watchful eye of Michelangelo's ceiling and waited for the smoke to change from black to white.
After great anticipation, the announcement went out, Habemus Papam, and we learned that Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio, the Jesuit Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was chosen and will serve as Pope Francis, an acknowledgement of the important influence of St. Francis of Assisi and an indication that Pope Francis will serve Roman Catholics around the world as an instrument of God's peace.
Pope Francis, a humble man who has eschewed many of the grander signs of office, has made it clear that his greatest power will be to serve the most vulnerable. His call to servant leadership in assisting the less fortunate and stewardship of our environment will be a call to action in the coming years for all across the globe.
Together with Roman Catholics across the country and members of this place, I congratulate Pope Francis on his new calling and pray for his reign as the vicar of Christ.