Pope Francis A HUGE Surprise and Nod to North America

This guy was not on anybody's short list and doesn't live within the church powers (takes a bus everywhere). Another huge surprise was the clear nod to North America. Yeah, North America, given that the Catholic Church is the only religious segment in the US to grow its members the last 20 years, thanks primarily to the Hispanic inflow into America. This group has to be jazzed big time. To sum Pope Francis up: he's anti gay marriage, pro family, and an enormous advocate for the poor. These stances are NOT surprises, however. The Church needed a conservative and they got one, clearly.