Pope Francis, the pontiff of firsts, breaks with tradition

Newly elected Pope Francis speaks to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday, March 13. Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the first pontiff from Latin America and will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

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New pope: Scenes from St. Peter's Square

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Pope Francis refused to stand on an elevated platform, a cardinal says
• Francis will meet with his predecessor on Thursday, Vatican says
• Jorge Bergoglio, breaks with tradition, asks crowd to pray for him
• Request is a break with tradition, the Vatican says

 Call him Pope Francis, the pontiff of firsts.

When Jorge Bergoglio stepped onto the balcony at the Vatican on Wednesday to reveal himself as the new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, he made history as the first non-European pope of the modern era, the first from Latin America, the first Jesuit and the first to assume the name Francis.