Nationwide acclaim for choice of new Pope Catholics across Australia have welcomed the appointment of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope, hailing him a leader who can close the gaps troubling the national church. The cardinal, now Pope Francis, is known for his humility, compassion and moderate views. He is seen as a man who will bridge many divides in the church. The fact he is from Latin America and the first Jesuit to hold the position adds weight to these expectations. But there are some divides in Australia that border on chasmic, particularly around the issue of the Catholic Church's response to child sex abuse by some of its clergy. Many Catholics have been alienated by the church's piecemeal and secretive responses, seen as more focused on protecting the institution than helping victims. Because Pope Francis has a background in social justice there is hope he will bring about change. Helen Last, the director of victim's advocacy group In Good Faith, said on Thursday his appointment and focus was a good start. "He must make the sexual abuse issues the priority," Ms Last told AAP. People have been terribly hurt by the church itself and they need attention at the beginning of his taking up his position. The response from the church's hierarchy in Australia has also been positive. Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart told the congregation at St Patrick's Church he had written to Pope Francis, sending thanks and congratulations. Now we have a father to lead our family. Now we have someone who understands us - a beautiful man of God," Archbishop Hart said. He praised the new Pope for his simple and humble nature and his deep concern for the poor. The 76-year-old Pope's ministry has been in Argentina, where the liberation theology movement - and its "option for the poor" philosophy - flourished. Cardinal Bergoglio did not identify with the movement, which was seen as extreme leftist and Marxist. Some of the clergy there felt betrayed by that. In fact he would not have risen in the conservative corporation that is the Catholic Church if he had supported it. He held - and still holds - conservative views on doctrine around matters like homosexuality, abortion and contraception similar to Australia's senior Catholic clergyman, Cardinal George Pell. But there is an obvious divide in the way they interpret and apply doctrine - and power. In September 2012 Cardinal Bergoglio criticised priests who refused to baptise children born out of wedlock. He said "it was a form of rigorous and hypocritical neo-clericalism." In 2002 George Pell, the newly appointed archbishop in Sydney, refused Holy Communion to openly gay and lesbian parishioners. He quoted then the conservative mantra of the church, telling the congregation at St Mary's Cathedral: "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve and important consequences follow from this." It might just be a difference in style but Catholics around the globe are interpreting Pope Francis's approach as being in tune with the essence of Christianity. In a homily last year to a group of young people on a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Lujan in Argentina, the new Pope invited people to consider power as a form of service, following the example of Jesus. Those in power in Australia have welcomed his appointment. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the election of a Pope from the "new world" was an occasion of genuinely historic proportions. Jesuit-educated Opposition Leader Tony Abbott declared: "It's a great day for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. Later, he told reporters in Queanbeyan: "It's a momentous day for the church." Catholics in Australia will be watching closely to see just how momentous the choice of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been.