msnbc’s Chris Jansing, live in Rome, shared her thoughts on the newly-installed Pope Francis just moments after he addressed the crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica, focusing on his mission of social justice:
“It’s hard to even put into words how extraordinary this is, and a key question some of us had ever since Pope Benedict decided to step down, was would the church find a new direction? Would the Church find a new face geographically? In terms of its theology? And while I would not say that this is a man whose theology is going to take a big step away from what we’ve seen in the church, there is something very clearly different here. the respect that he earned within the College of Cardinals really did stem in large part from the fact that he is someone who could bridge the gap between those who are more conservative and those who were more moderate.”
MS NOW staff