The Roman Catholic Church and its cardinals have broken many traditions today, electing as Pope a man from Argentina who is also the first Jesuit to hold the position. Pope Francis I, originally Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina, chose his name to honor Saint Francis of Assisi because of the mendicant's dedication to the poor.

Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, and graduated with a degree in chemistry before entering seminary. He became a Jesuit in 1958. The future cardinal also studied philosophy, and went on to teach literature and psychology at Colegio de la Immaculada in Buenos Aires.

In 1969, Bergoglio was ordained as a priest, and worked his way to becoming a professor of theology at Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel. Later he served as rector of the seminary before earning a doctorate in Germany.

He was made a Roman Catholic cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

The new pope is known for his humility and conservative doctrinal views, as well as a leaning towards social justice issues. His humble demeanor was on display during his presentation on the balcony of the Vatican.

Although Bergoglio's selection comes as a surprise - he was not included in a list of "frontrunners" to the papacy - he was not entirely a dark horse, since he had garnered the second largest number of votes during Pope Benedict XVI's selection as pope.

Serving as the first pope from outside Europe in 1200 years, Pope Francis I will be a groundbreaker in many regards.