By Staci DaSilva
sdasilva@kcautv.com
Bishop R. Walker Nickless was excited when we met with him Wednesday, excited to know the name of his Holy Father.
But he says while, before Wednesday he didn't know who Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was, when he saw him, he knew he was his new Pope.
"There's just something about him. I just got the chills when I saw him because I just knew he was the right man," said Bishop Nickless.
Bishop Nickless told Channel 9 he's happy the Cardinals chose not only a Latin American Pope but a Jesuit for the first time.
But it was Pope Francis' love for the poor and humility that struck him the most.
When he came out on the balcony, the Bishop says he thought the Pope seemed overwhelmed by the crowd and the daunting power he now holds.
"This is a very, very difficult job. And he said 'I need your prayers.' The first thing he seemed to ask for was the prayers of the people. As if he was saying 'we're in this together'," said Bishop Nickless.
As for how his new Pope will affect the Diocese of Sioux City, the Bishop says he's working on getting a new picture and will begin praying for Pope Francis now during mass.
And in this new age of technology and social media, Bishop Nickless found out about the white smoke with his "Pope Alert" app on his phone.
And he thinks Pope Francis, at age 76, will follow in Pope Benedict's steps and have a Twitter account.
