Media savvy Pope Francis is 'Ronald Reagan' of religion

Shy Argentine cardinal emerges as warm, engaging speaker who knows how to use the press

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the papamobile during his inauguration mass at St Peter's square on March 19, 2013 at the Vatican. World leaders flew in for Pope Francis's inauguration m
(Image credit: 2013 AFP)

JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO was often described as a shy man with an aversion to journalists. But as today's inauguration signals the official start of his papacy, there are clear signs Pope Francis "knows how to work the media", says Time.

As a cardinal, Bergoglio preferred to address his congregation rather than reporters, Time says. And when sections of the Argentine media accused him of "silent complicity" during the years when the country was ruled by a brutal junta, his aversion turned to open hostility. "Journalists sometimes risk becoming ill from coprophilia," he said at the time.

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