Papal name Francis honours saint who brought Catholicism to Asia

In addition to being the first non-European pope for almost 13 centuries, the new pope's choice of name sets him apart - and establishes a link to the South China coast.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio is Latin America's first pope, and his decision to become the first pope ever to go by the name Francis is seen as highly significant.

The chosen name draws on the legacy of St Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century founder of the Franciscan Order and a symbol of asceticism.

However, it may also be seen as a reference to St Francis Xavier, the Catholic missionary known as the Apostle of the East who died on Shangchuan island west of Macau in 1552 and did much to introduce Catholicism to Asia.

Francis Xavier was one of seven founders of the Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, and Pope Francis is the first member of the order elected to the papacy.

In the mid-16th century, Francis Xavier spent more then a decade evangelising in Asia, starting in Goa, Portuguese India, before making his way to Malacca in modern Malaysia, the Moluccan Islands in eastern Indonesia, and Japan.