Pope names Mario Poli as Archbishop of Buenos Aires

Pope Francis has made his first Bishop appointment, naming the Bishop of Santa Rosa, Argentina, his successor as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and the top churchman in Argentina.

Archbishop Mario Poli had been an auxiliary bishop in the Argentine capital in 2002-2008 while the former Cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the Archbishop.

The 66-year-old Poli, trained in social work, made news recently when he publicly dressed-down a priest who had posted a Facebook greeting on the birthday of former Argentine dictator Jorge Videla.

Argentine media say Archbishop Poli is very much a priest in Pope Francis’ vein, less political and more pastoral.