CNN
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On March 13, 2013, Oscar Crespo was watching TV in his native Buenos Aires when he saw the white smoke appearing above the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican: a new pope was elected.
As with millions of Catholics in Latin America, he was curious to know who would succeed Pope Benedict XVI. To his surprise he heard the name Bergoglio – the surname of his childhood friend – and was immediately overwhelmed by emotion, he recalled.
“Bergoglio, Pope! I couldn’t believe it! And right at that moment, my phone started ringing,” Crespo told CNN from Buenos Aires, explaining how he was deluged by callers who knew of their friendship. Shortly after, Crespo watched as…
