Also, on the ride back from the Sistine Chapel to the Santa Marta residence, he declined the papal car that had been prepared for him and instead took the bus with other cardinals, Lombardi said.

And Francis thanked the other cardinals at dinner, joking, "May God forgive you for what you have done," Lombardi said.

Francis will remove the seals from the official papal apartments Thursday but will not move in until renovations are complete, he added. The new pontiff will live in a suite at the Santa Marta residence until the papal apartments are ready.

In Buenos Aires, Francis chose to live in an apartment rather than the archbishop's palace, passed on a chauffeured limousine, took the bus to work and cooked his own meals.

He was ordained by the Jesuits in 1969. He became co-archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1997 and sole archbishop of that city one year later.

He was made a cardinal in 2001 and served as president of the Argentine bishops conference from 2005 to 2011.

As a Jesuit, Francis is a member of the Society of Jesus, one of the biggest and most important orders in the church.

Jesuits are recognized for their exceptional educational institutions and focus on social justice.

"Jesuits are characterized by their service to the church ... but trying to avoid positions of power," said Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, who is also a Jesuit. "I am absolutely convinced that we have a pope who wants to serve.

"His election was the election of a rejection of power."

'Most stunning' choice of name

His selection of the name of Pope Francis is "the most stunning" choice and "precedent shattering," CNN Vatican analyst John Allen said. "The new pope is sending a signal that this will not be business as usual."

The name symbolizes "poverty, humility, simplicity and rebuilding the Catholic Church," Allen said.

Miguel Diaz, a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, agreed, calling the new pontiff's choice of names "very significant."

"Francis of Assisi is the saint who opted for the little ones in God's kingdom," he said. "This man represents a change and could potentially be a great gift for leadership, servant leadership, for all of us within the church and society."

It is something the Catholic Church says it desperately needs.

"If you look back over the past years -- the crisis of abuse, the scandals here at the Vatican, financial mismanagement, questions about the leaks and everything -- when you step back from it all, every crisis we faced ultimately is a crisis of holiness that we've missed the calling," said the Rev. Thomas Rosica, the Vatican's deputy spokesman.

"We've moved far away from what we're supposed to be."

World reacts

Word of the election of Pope Francis, who was not considered a frontrunner among analysts, quickly spread around the globe, with everyone from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to U.S. President Barack Obama offering congratulations.