Vatican: Francis won't visit Benedict Thursday - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The Vatican says Pope Francis won't be calling on his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, but would see him another day.

U.S. Cardinal Timothy Dolan told reporters on Wednesday that Francis had planned to visit Benedict on his first full day as pope. Dolan said Francis had informed the cardinals of his plans after his election.

But a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, said Francis wouldn't make the trip to Castel Gandolfo on Thursday, and probably wouldn't go Friday, either.

The Vatican has said a meeting would occur in a few days.

Archbishop of Indianapolis diocese comments on Pope Francis

"Are we surprised by his election? I'd say yes, we're surprised. Even though several cardinals after the conclave in 2005 declared that Cardinal Bergoglio received a lot of support, the fact of his age and the fact that he didn't carry the field the last time led a lot of people to believe he really wasn't in the running," said Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin, who spoke to reporters at the Catholic Center after the announcement.

"I think you saw that footage from St. Peter's Square where he came out to greet and really spoke directly to the Romans first - after all, his first title is Bishop of Rome; he was speaking to his diocese. Of course, the rest of the world was listening as well," he said.

Tobin points out that Francis' election is a first of many kinds, including the choice of a non-European, the first member of the Jesuits, a major Catholic order and the first person from Latin America. "Pope Francis represents the first time in 1,200 years that a non-European was elected pope," he explained.

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