The Primate of All Ireland Cardinal Sean Brady says he will invite the newly-elected Pope Francis to visit Ireland. Cardinal Brady has been speaking to reporters at the Irish college in Rome.

He says the new pontiff told him that he sends his blessings to the people of Ireland. He also admitted he was surprised that the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio was elected.

Pope Francis is the first Latin American Pontiff has visited the main basilica in Rome at the start of his Papacy.

The 76-year-old prayed at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica to kick off his first full day as the head of the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world.

Global congratulations

Reactions continued to pour in from world leaders with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard saying "The election of a pope from the 'new world' is an occasion of genuinely historic proportions."

US President Barack Obama hailed the new Pope as "a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us", while the Argentine President Cristina Kirchner wished her compatriot "a fruitful pastoral mission".

The Argentinian of Italian descent became the 266th pope after Benedict XVI stunned the world in February with his decision to resign. The first to voluntarily step down in 700 years.

Cardinal Sean Brady says he will be extending an invite to the new Pope.