It’s the first time the name is being used by a pope, said CNN Vatican expert John Allen.
Pope Francis chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi because he is a lover of the poor, said Vatican deputy spokesman Thomas Rosica.
“Cardinal Bergoglio had a special place in his heart and his ministry for the poor, for the disenfranchised, for those living on the fringes and facing injustice,” Rosica said.
St. Francis, one of the most venerated figures in the Roman Catholic Church, was known for connecting with fellow Christians, Rosica added.
Allen described the name selection as “the most stunning” choice and “precedent shattering.”
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Newly elected Pope Francis speaks to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday, March 13. Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the first pontiff from Latin America and will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
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The crowd looks up as Pope Francis comes out onto the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica for the first time.
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A nun reacts as Pope Francis appears on the balcony.
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Pope Francis addresses the crowd. He was the archbishop of Buenos Aires.
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People watch the new pope's introduction.
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People react to the newly elected pope's appearance on the balcony.
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Pope Francis waves to the crowd.
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A woman screams as she listens to the announcement that the new pope will be Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina.
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French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, center, announces the new pope.
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People under umbrellas react to the news while waiting for the new pope to appear.
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People crowd St. Peter's Square for the unveiling of the new pope.
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A boy sits on his father's shoulders in St. Peter's Square.
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A marching band performs before the introduction of the new pope.
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People in St. Peter's Square wave Argentina's flag after the new pope was chosen.
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People stand on a balcony at St. Peter's Square as they wait for the identity of the new pope to be revealed.
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A woman in the crowd wipes away tears.
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Swiss guards enter St. Peter's Square after white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signifying the election of a new pope.
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People celebrate in St. Peter's Square.
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The faithful cheer and take pictures in St. Peter's Square.
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White smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
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People celebrate as white smoke rises from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel.
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People in St. Peter's Square cheer and wave flags after the new pope was selected.
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Bells ring at St. Peter's Basilica after white smoke billowed from the chimney.
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A nun stands at a window overlooking St. Peter's Square.
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People shield themselves from the rain in St. Peter's Square after the election of the new pope.
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“There are cornerstone figures in Catholicism,” such as St. Francis, Allen said. Figures of such stature as St. Francis of Assisi seem “irrepeatable – that there can be only one Francis,” he added.
The name symbolizes “poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church,” Allen said. “The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual.”
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI recounted how St. Francis was born in 1181 or 1182 as the son of a rich Italian cloth merchant, according to the Vatican website.
After “a carefree adolescence and youth,” Francis joined the military and was taken prisoner. He was freed after becoming ill, and when he returned to Assisi, Italy, a spiritual conversion began. He abandoned his worldly lifestyle.
In a famous episode, Christ on the Cross came to life three times in the small Church of St. Damian and told him: “Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins,” Pope Benedict XVI said, according to the Vatican’s website.
“At that moment St. Francis was called to repair the small church, but the ruinous state of the building was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the Church herself,” Pope Benedict XVI said. “At that time the Church had a superficial faith which did not shape or transform life, a scarcely zealous clergy, and a chilling of love.”
