Publications & Sites 
Elmwood Park priest ‘delighted’ with selection of new pope
Rev. Darrio Boscutti, head of St. Cyprian Catholic Church in River Grove, is delighted about the selection of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina as the new pope. | Sun-Times Media File Photo
Updated: March 18, 2013 5:06PM
ELMWOOD PARK — Rev. Darrio Boscutti, head of St. Cyprian Catholic Church in River Grove, said Wednesday he was delighted about the selection of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pope.
Bergoglio’s selection was announced Wednesday. He will be known as Pope Francis.
“I like him a lot,” Boscutti said. “He seems to be a humble guy.”
He also believes Bergoglio’s ethnicity is a plus as well, being the first Latin American to become a pope.
“He has a lot of knowledge of the concerns of that area,” he said.
Boscutti said the job of pope is not an easy one, but what he’s seen so far since the news became public is a good sign.
“He will reach out across the world like he has done from the balcony today,” he said.
Over at St. Celestine Catholic Church in Elmwood Park, Barbara Kubiniec-Mares feels good about the exit of Pope Benedict and is encouraged by the church’s newly elected leadership.
“It is totally unbelievable what Pope Benedict has done and is what no other leader in our lifetime has ever done or contemplated, by him putting the needs of the people of the world before himself,” she said. “By him saying that he can no longer do his job and resigning has been really a very notable thing for the church.”
She’s been a member of St. Celestine for 40 years and has been pastoral associate at the church for 20 of those years,
“As far as our new pope I’m just so ecstatic,” she said. “I think he is going to be wonderful and he seems to be a really down-to-earth man.”
She said his new name brings with it a lot of responsibility and hope.
“That is the greatest thing, because St. Francis of Assisi was known for bringing peace in the world and being a part of peace and has always identified himself with the poor like nobody else has done before,” Kubiniec-Mares said.
“Even since then, nobody else has identified themselves as much with the poor as much as Francis Assisi,” she added. “I thought it was very interesting that when Pope Francis came out for the first time with the public, he asked the crowd to take the time to pray for him before he prayed with us.”
She called that moment “really, really exciting,” adding, “his reign is going to be a great step forward in the position and direction for the church in the future and I think we are all very lucky and blessed by it.”
