Pope Francis

Buenos Aires, Argentina – Under the heading of “it’s better to be lucky than good,” here’s the kind of happy accident that sometimes falls into the lap of a reporter.

I knew coming to Argentina that among other points on the biography of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the man who is now Pope Francis, is the fact that he’s a huge fan of the soccer club San Lorenzo. The team plays in the Primera División, which is the top flight of soccer in Argentina. (San Lorenzo is currently in 11^th place in a 20-team field.)

Buenos Aires, Argentina – When the Vatican released a statement yesterday indicating that Pope Francis wants to move aggressively on the child sexual abuse scandals in the church, it was met by skepticism from victims groups insisting that “actions speak louder than words.”

Over the years, perhaps the most persistent such demand for action has been that bishops who mishandle abuse cases should be held accountable. Yesterday, a senior aide and confidante to then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio predicted that Francis will plug this hole as pope.