( CNN ) -- `` I hope you have n't made a mistake , '' Pope Francis told the cardinals at his celebratory dinner after he was chosen to lead the Catholic Church . He then urged the assembled hierarchy to nourish their bodies , and said with a grin , `` May God forgive you for what you 've done . '' It brought down the house . Pope Francis has already brought surprising changes . He broke with tradition by asking the crowd in St. Peter 's Square to pray for him , and then bowed to receive it . This struck at least one young Catholic male , interviewed for the TV cameras , as `` the most humble thing I 've ever seen a pope do . '' Pope Francis refused to mount the platform previous popes stood on to receive the cardinals , one by one . `` I 'll stay down here , '' he told Vatican staff . He shocked many cardinals by choosing the name `` Francis , '' after St. Francis of Assisi , a young man born to wealth , but who lived his life in rags , sitting with lepers and the poor outside the Sistine Chapel . Saint Francis is the patron saint of animals as well as the poor . He is often depicted in art with birds on his shoulder or held in his hands . Some saw it as a sign when a seagull landed on top of the chimney that vents the smoke from burning ballots . What the press began to call `` The Holy See Gull '' sat for 40 minutes on the tin top over the smokestack . It then flew off , but shortly a gull landed again in the same place . The next smoke was white , for Pope Francis . Opinion : Pope Francis is no herald of big changes . Judging from the cardinals I saw interviewed , the new pope is widely considered to be a centrist . He is socially conservative , opposing same-gender marriage , free condoms and abortion , yet he is also known for his care for AIDS patients , washing and kissing their feet , and for baptizing the babies of unwed mothers who other clerics had turned down . He brings a number of `` firsts . '' He is the first modern non-European pope . He is the first pope from Latin America ( his father was an Italian immigrant ) a continent that has 39 % of the world 's Catholics . He is the first pope who is a Jesuit , a Catholic order that focuses on teaching youth and social justice . But while reporters focus on these firsts , there are other reasons that help explain why the cardinals , in Pope Francis ' words , went `` to the end of the Earth '' to find the man to lead the Catholic world , with its 1.2 billion members . Opinion : Pope Francis , open up the church . Four reasons repeatedly came up in interviews with Catholic clerics : They felt it was time to shift the church 's geographic center , they like his pastoral centrism , they believe emphasis on ministering to the poor has been missing and they hold a strong conviction that Pope Francis is the man to reform and rebuild a church that has been beset by scandals . That phrase , `` rebuilding the church '' was mentioned by him , according to reports of the pope 's first homily . The phrase also comes from the story of St. Francis , who began his ministry by hearing a call to `` rebuild my church . '' Pope Francis put his emphasis on the spirituality of the church as being first , lest the church be seen as little more than `` a compassionate NGO '' ( non-governmental organization ) . Navarrette : Pope pick a signal to Latino Catholics . As a practicing Catholic , my personal , fervent hope is that Pope Francis will revive an interest and compassion for the poor . `` We live in the most unequal part of the world , which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least , '' Pope Francis said in 2007 . `` The unjust distribution of goods persists , '' he said , `` creating a situation of social sin that cries out to heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers . '' There are indications some cardinals hope this pope will be Christian-friendly to Islam and the developing world . Cardinal Angelo Scola , the archbishop of Milan , heads a foundation to promote Muslim-Christian understanding , and looks after Afghanistan 's only Catholic Church as if it were in his diocese . Slamet Effendy Yusuf , a Muslim and head of the Indonesian Ulema Council , told the Christian Science Monitor , `` We believe this is a new chapter in the history of relations between Muslims and Catholics . '' I noticed that many cardinals remarked with wonder over the news that Pope Francis , while he was in Buenos Aires , lived in an austere apartment , cooked his own food and took the trolley and subway by himself . That this is a matter of wonder to some who live in stone mansions and have chauffeured cars and chefs is a strong indication change has already arrivedâ€ ” brought by example . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile .
Donna ##e : Pope Francis has already shown humility since being named . She says he can be seen as centrist : socially conservative , but especially for poor , afflicted . She says among reasons he was named was belief he will rebuild church after scandals . Brazile says he 'll focus on inequality , an example of compassion .