Erstellt am: 14. 3. 2013 - 15:52 Uhr

Pope Pandemonium and a Cockatoo Too

Reality Check: Argentinian reaction to 'their' new Pope, what his election means for Austria, a female Bishop's take PLUS - China has a new President and how cockatoos can teach us a thing or two about making wise business decisions. Really.

APA

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (centre) addresses the tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered below the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican 13 March 2013 after he was elected the new Pontiff

A New Pope Elected
New Pope Francis the First, formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, comes from Argentina, prefers to take the bus, lives in a small apartment, and cooks his own meals. Well, not anymore he doesn't.
The first ever Pontiff from the Americas, Pope Francis stepped on the Vatican balcony last night and millions of Roman Catholics, whether Latin American or not, exploded in a frenzy of joy. The new Pope is admired for championing the plight of the poor. He has washed the feet of AIDS victims. He has chastised clergymen for not baptising the children of single mothers. He supports contraception to prevent the spread of diseases (in exceptional cases). That's the good stuff.
The eyebrow raising stuff has to do with his take on gay marriage (basically- no way, Jose). It is a bit worrisome to hear him equate gay rights with a "War on God". Then there is also the controversy surrounding his involvement in a very dark chapter of Argentinian history.
So, it's bound to be less Prada and more Birkenstock this time around. Whether theologically conservative but by all accounts humble man can affect real progress in the Catholic Church, remains to be seen.

• Our correspondent in Buenos Aires, Esther-Marie Merz, gave us an impression of the reaction in Argentina:

• Alexandra Mantler from the ORF Religion Department told us what it all means for Austria:

• Bishop Bridget Meehan is part of a movement called the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests and she certainly has a unique perspective:

APA

Newly-elected Chinese President Xi Jinping takes his seat during the election of the new president of China at the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 14 March 2013

Meanwhile in China...
....another new leader was elected, the new President of China, Xi Jinping. It wasn't exactly a newsflash for people in the government or people in the country. ORF Beijing correspondent Jörg Winter told us about Xi, the Princeling...

UniWien

A human spelled 'receive' wrong but the bird gets decision-making right!

We Look to You Cockatoo
This is what the term 'Reality Check' is all about. Did you know that cockatoos, the beautiful form of parrot you see above, make wise business decisions. For real. Isabelle Laumer works at the Department of Cognitive Biology from the University of Vienna and she took part in a study that proved it.