Regina bells ring for Pope Francis

Church tower bells in downtown Regina rang out Wednesday following news of a new Pope.

While the bells have a home in the Knox Metropolitan United Church, they are not limited to strictly United Church events, Carol Benesh, from the Regina Bell Ringers, explained to CBC News.

"The bells that we ring are the Darke Memorial Chimes which belong to the City of Regina," Benesh said. "And they were given to the City of Regina to be used in celebration. So the pope is ... being put into the position, so we're ringing for the pope."

Benesh said one piece of music they selected was a traditional song from Argentina, where Pope Francis was a cardinal.

"We usually pick something form the person's life," she said. "The pope is from Argentina, so we have ... a traditional Argentine song."

Followers of the Catholic Faith, across Saskatchewan, expressed excitement about the new pontiff.

Among those with a keen interest in Pope Francis is Benjamin Fiore, the president of Campion College in Regina.

Campion is a Jesuit, Catholic college with about 800 students.

Pope Francis, who was previously Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, is also a Jesuit Catholic.

"The significance ... is that it's the first one over the course of our history, which is now 400-plus years," Fiore said. "[Jesuits] have never really ambitioned for these kinds of higher positions."